Pakistan has an embassy in Ankara, a Consulate-General in Istanbul and an honorary consulate in Izmir whereas, Turkey has an embassy in Islamabad, a Consulate-General in Karachi and honorary consulates in Lahore, Peshawar, Sialkot and Faisalabad. As of 2016, in a joint communique, Pakistan and Turkey plan to strengthen their close ties into a "strategic partnership". Relations date back generations before the establishment of the two states, more precisely during the Turkish War of Independence when the Muslims of the northwestern British Raj sent financial aid to the declining Ottoman Empire, which was followed by the formation of the Turkish Republic and the Independence of Pakistan. As a result, Pakistan and Pakistanis have enjoyed a positive perception in Turkey and amongst Turks for many decades. Pakistan and Turkey enjoy close cultural, historical and military relations which are now expanding into deepening economic relations as both countries seek to develop their economies.
Pakistan's position of holding a plebiscite under the UN to decide if Kashmir wants to join Pakistan, a position which Turkish President Erdogan reaffirmed in a joint address to the Pakistani parliament and which was attended by Pakistan's military high command Turkey supports Pakistan's membership of the Nuclear Suppliers Group. Talat Masood said that Turkey and Pakistan enjoy close relations during both democratic and military regimes, reflecting the depth of the relations between the two nations.
Diplomatic relations between Turkey and Pakistan were established in 1947, soon after Pakistan came into being as the then largest Muslim country on world map. Turkey was among a few countries that quickly recognized Pakistan after its creation and supported its successful bid to become a member of the United Nations. Turkey established diplomatic relations soon after the independence of Pakistan in 1947 and bilateral relations became increasingly close owing to cultural, religious and geopolitical links between the two countries. Turkey was among a few countries that quickly recognized Pakistan after its creation and supported its successful bid to become a member of the United Nations. Pakistan's founder Muhammad Ali Jinnah expressed admiration for Turkey's founding leader Mustafa Kemal Atatürk and also a desire to develop Pakistan on the Turkish model of modernism. Similarly Pakistan would follow the footstep of Muhammad Ali Jinnah and Allama Iqbal to develop a modern Islamic Pakistan and all other so called ism are rejected by people of Pakistan. Similar ideas were expressed by the former President of Pakistan Pervez Musharraf, who grew up in Turkey and had received extensive military training there. Jinnah is honoured as a great leader in Turkey, and a major road of the Turkish capital Ankara, the Cinnah Caddesi is named after him, while roads in Islamabad, Karachi, Lahore, Peshawar, and Larkana are named after Atatürk. On 26 October 2009, Recep Tayyip Erdoğan was awarded the Nishan-e-Pakistan and was the fourth world leader who spoke to the Pakistani parliament.
Turkey and Pakistan are founding members of the Economic Cooperation Organization and part of the Developing 8 Countries (D-8) organization. Both nations have worked to negotiate a preferential trading agreement, aiming to considerably increase trade and investments, especially in transport, telecommunications, manufacturing, tourism and other industries. Both governments have sought to increase the volume of bilateral trade from $690 million to more than $1 billion by 2010. Pakistani exports include rice, sesame seeds, leather, textiles, fabrics, sports goods, and medical equipment. Turkey's exports to Pakistan include wheat, chickpeas, lentils, diesel, chemicals, transport vehicles, machinery and energy products. Turkish private corporations have also invested significantly in industrial and construction projects developing highways, pipelines and canals. The two countries are negotiatating the Turkey-Pakistan Free Trade Agreement.
The regions comprising both Pakistan and Turkey have been mutually influenced by contiguous Persian, Hellenistic, Arab and Turco-Mongol cultures at various points in history. By the fifth century BCE, ancient Persia spread from Anatolia to the Indus River, introducing Persianate cultural and political traditions to these regions. Common Hellenistic influence following the conquests of Alexander the Great. Modern-day Turkey was home to many ancient European civilizations, including that of the Ionian Greeks. The country has many traces of cultural and historical influences from the ancient Greeks, including many Greek and Hellenistic archeological sites found in the region. Pakistan was also influenced by Greek culture and civilization in the aftermath of Alexander the Great's conquest of the Indus Valley, which later led to the development of the Indo-Greek Kingdoms and Greco-Buddhism. Gandhara, a region in western Pakistan, was a major thoroughfare of Hellenistic, Iranic and Indo-Aryan contact.
Turkey became a Turkic-speaking country as a result of Seljuq conquest and Turkification of the region. Though Pakistan is not a Turkic-speaking country, its major languages, particularly Urdu (also known as Lashkari ), are strongly influenced by the Turkic language of the Mughals before it became the empire's official language. As a result, it has borrowed many loanwords from Chagatai. The etymology of the word "Urdu" traces itself back to Mughal rule , believed to be coined by the poet Mashafi. Moreover, the common cultural influences on Pakistan and Turkey span several centuries, as many Turkic and Iranic peoples ruled vast areas of Central Asia, South Asia and the Middle East. The designs of clothing of the two countries also have common origins in Central Asia. Food is also similar to some extent such as Kebab, Pilaf and Halva although the spice content in Pakistan is different due to South Asian influence. Both Turkey and Pakistan practice the Hanafi school of Sunni Islam, which was the interpretation of Islam implemented by the Ottoman Empire and Mughal Empire respectively. Robust traditions of moderate Sufism exist and the religious ministers of both nations frequently contact each other.
Courtesy : Wikipedia
