A commemoration program was held at the Turkish Embassy in Islamabad on the occasion of July 15 Democracy and National Unity Day.
Türkiye's Ambassador to Islamabad İrfan Neziroğlu, Pakistan Minister of Information and Broadcasting Ataullah Tarar, Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (TRNC) Islamabad Representative Buket Kop, as well as many foreign mission representatives, ambassadors and guests attended the program.
The program started with a minute of silence in memory of the martyrs of July 15. Then, the commemoration program continued with the reading of the national anthems of Türkiye and Pakistan.
In his speech here, Ambassador Neziroğlu said that on July 15, 2016, the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) attempted to overthrow Türkiye's democratically elected government, undermine democracy and constitutional order, and destroy the will of the Turkish people.
"On that tragic night, the coup plotters targeted the institutions of our state." Neziroğlu stated that a bomb attack was also carried out on the Presidential Complex and the Turkish Grand National Assembly (TBMM).
Neziroğlu said, "Can you see the level of hostility these murderers have towards their own people? At that time, I was serving as the Secretary General of the Turkish Grand National Assembly. I was in the General Assembly hall when the parliament building was bombed. They bombed the parliament three times." he said.
Ambassador Neziroğlu continued his words as follows:
"When President Erdoğan called on our people to take to the streets, saying that Türkiye could never be taken hostage, millions of citizens responded without hesitation. They bravely opposed the coup plotters and defended our democracy.
More than 250 innocent people were martyred and more than 2 thousand people were injured while resisting the coup attempt. Today we came together to honor the memory of our martyrs. "July 15 has become an enduring symbol of the victory of democracy, national unity and the unwavering determination of the Turkish people against those who seek to overthrow our democratically elected government."
Stating that he expressed his heartfelt gratitude to the people of Pakistan on this occasion, Neziroğlu said, "You stood by us in our war of independence a century ago. You stood by us once again against the FETO coup attempt. Pakistan also officially declared FETO as a terrorist organization in December 2018. Because of this unshakable solidarity, Pakistan has a very special place in our hearts. My dear Pakistani brothers, you will never be alone." he said.