The Federal government has conferred Tamgha-e-Imtiaz on Burhan Kayaturk, Member of Turkish National Assembly and President of Pak-Turkey Friendship Association on occasion of Pakistan Day in honour of his service to bring Pakistan and Turkey closer. "Kayaturk has played an active role to bringing Pakistan and Turkey closer especially in field of education and culture.
He had played active role during the relief and rehabilitation activities initiated by the Government of Pakistan as well as the state officials and civilians from Pakistan in the wake of the Van Earthquake that struck the city of Van, Eastern Turkey, a couple of months ago", said Chairman Prime Minister's Task Force Faisal Sakhi Butt addressing a reception he hosted in honour of Burhan Kayaturk. He said that the Islamabad has sought Turkish cooperation in fields of transportation, solid waste management, waste to energy generation and real estate development to make Federal Capital one of the world's most developed capitals.
Butt said that Kayaturk mobilized his constituency in Turkey for the benefit of the earthquake victims struck by the 2005 earthquake in Pakistan. He is also the Chairman of the Turkey-Pakistan Inter-Parliamentary Friendship Group. He said that the association between Turkey and Pakistan is both out-growing and deep-rooted. President of Pakistan has always accorded a very high priority to furthering of our bilateral relations with Turkey, he said.
Kayaturk said that 350 of the total 500 members of the Turkish Parliament are in the group of Pak- Turk friendship. He said that the economy of Turkey is improving day by day and democracy is strengthening paving way for progress and prosperity. He said that there are more than 150 Pakistani students who are having undergraduate, graduate and post-graduate education at Turkish higher educational institutions with the encouragement of Pak-Turk ICEF as well as state initiatives of Pakistan and Turkey. Information Minister Dr Firdous Ashiq Awan, Qamar Zaman Kaira, Saleem Saifullah Khan and senior officials were also present on the occasion.