Day: July 14, 2021

The Shanghai Cooperation Organization (SCO) foreign ministers called Wednesday on Afghan sides to stop violence and start peace talks about the future of the country.

In a joint statement following a meeting in the Tajik capital Dushanbe, the SCO foreign ministers condemned the violence and terrorist attacks causing civilian causalities and urged to stop hostilities.

They voiced concern over the rising concentration of outlaw and terrorist groups in the north of the country and stressed the importance of uniting the SCO actions in countering terrorism.

The ministers called on all sides involved in the Afghan conflict to refrain from the use of force and actions leading to destabilization and unpredictable consequences on the Afghan borders with the SCO countries.

They expressed readiness to develop cooperation with Afghanistan regarding the fight against terrorism and drug crime.

The ministers thanked the SCO countries for hosting and helping the Afghan refugees and encouraged the international community to contribute to their safe and sustainable repatriation.

“One of the most important factors for preserving and strengthening security and stability in the SCO space is the early settlement of the situation in Afghanistan,” the diplomats said.

They also prompted the Afghan government to increase efforts aiming for peace restoration, economic development of the country, countering terrorism, extremism, and drug crime.

“We reaffirm the position of the SCO member states that there is no alternative to resolving the conflict in Afghanistan through political dialogue and the implementation of an inclusive peace process by the Afghans themselves and under the leadership of the Afghans themselves,” they added.

The ministers appealed to the “interested countries” and international organizations to build up cooperation to contribute to achieving peace in Afghanistan and praised the work of the UN structures and Troika plus format (Russia, China, the US, and Pakistan) in Afghanistan.

“We confirm the readiness of our countries to further deepen cooperation with Afghanistan in the fields of politics, security, economy, and humanitarian cooperation, including through the fullest possible realization of the potential of the IRA’s participation in the status of an observer state in the SCO activities,” they said.

The SCO foreign ministers meeting comes in the wake of US withdrawal from the war-ravaged country after 20 years and amid an alarming surge in violence and takeover of many districts by the Taliban.

The deteriorating security situation has prompted Iran and some other countries to close their consulates in the northern Afghan province of Balkh with diplomats moving to Kabul.

Source: Anadolu Agency

While Turkey works to expose the putschist plots of the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO), other countries that also recognize the FETO terrorist threat have been similarly working to protect their peace, stability, and security.

Five years ago this week in Turkey, FETO and its US-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated July 15, 2016 coup that left 251 people dead and 2,734 injured.

Ankara also accuses FETO of being behind a long-running campaign to overthrow the state through the infiltration of Turkish institutions, particularly the military, police, judiciary, and schools.

FETO also has a considerable presence outside Turkey, including private schools that serve as a revenue stream for the terrorist group.

In 2016, Turkey established the Maarif Foundation to take over former FETO terror-linked schools abroad. In the five years since, it has put 220 schools in 19 countries worldwide into responsible new administration.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, Muhammad Sohail Sajid, a lawyer of Pakistan’s High Court based in the capital of Islamabad, spoke of the FETO threat in Pakistan and government efforts to “remove the dark pall and expose their true face,” including FETO’s illicit groups posing as educational institutions.

The interview has been lightly edited for clarity.

Anadolu Agency: Please tell us about yourself and how you got involved in a pitched legal battle against FETO.

Muhammad Sohail Sajid: I am Muhammad Sohail Sajid, a Pakistani lawyer of the High Court based in Islamabad, known as always for standing to protect the interest of the public at large.

It’s a very basic question that needs to be appreciated with its background. As one of the signatories a few years back of the Turkish-Pakistani Lawyer’s Cooperation pact, I arranged a visit of the Punjab Bar Council from Pakistan, which signed a memorandum of understanding (MoU) with the Union of Turkish Bar Associations in Ankara.

Soon after the 2016 military coup’s failure to overthrow a democratic, elected government in Turkey, our counterparts contacted us to learn what we could extend as support in Pakistan, as part of the MoU, to honor the bilateral commitment that we, the legal fraternity, shall stand by democracy and the rule of law through thick and thin.

In response to this, we started this movement in Pakistan from July 15, 2016 onwards to help our brother nation identify the hideout operations of FETO in the country and to take remedial measures against them.

FETO’s legal facade for infiltrating Pakistan

Q: What kind of challenges and difficulties did you encounter during your legal confrontation with FETO? And what techniques did it use to operate in Pakistan?

SAJID: Actually, it is very complex to understand the structure of FETO, which is equally important for the global community to conceive, as it long remained a mystery and a misconception. Basically, the Pak-Turk International Cag Educational Foundation (PTICEF) was an international educational, non-profit, and non-governmental organization registered in the Republic of Turkey under the Charities Act, having its registered office in Turkey as Cag Educational Corporation.

In order to carry out its objectives and intentions to promote education and allied purposes, it signed a memorandum of understanding with the Government of Pakistan through its Economic Affairs Division in 1999. This initiative was fully endorsed and supported by the Turkish government.

Additionally, it also started operating all over the world with similar arrangements and objectives. To disseminate quality education at low cost to the Pakistani people, some material resources were provided by the government of Pakistan including land for school buildings in central locations in various cities. In all, 28 schools were established under this arrangement.

Post-coup bid period in Pakistan

SAJID: In July 2016, the parent organization (Cag Educational Corporation) of the Pak-Turk Education Foundation was found to be an entity owned and directly controlled by an organization involved in the military coup to overthrow the democratically elected government of Turkey. The coup was foiled as a sound and successful popular resistance against the plotters.

The Turkish government declared them the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO). As a consequence, FETO was also recognized as a terror organization by the Organization of Islamic Cooperation (OIC) as well as the Asian Parliament Assembly and by the 43rd session of OIC foreign ministers in Tashkent, Uzbekistan.

After their declaration as a terrorist group, most of the countries in Asia and Africa extradited or expelled members of FETO-affiliated organizations from their territories and took control of schools established under the foundation and handed them over to the Turkish government.

Efforts for a legal shield

SAJID: It is pertinent to mention here that the FETO-linked Pak-Turk Education Foundation (PTEF) had been granted international non-governmental organization status in Pakistan.

In order to conceal its designs, the PTEF was deceptively registered as a company with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan without the consent or permission of the original signatories of the basic MoU entered and executed on Oct. 30, 1999.

There were clear apprehensions that FETO, under the guise of imparting education to our children, could turn them into extremists through their mindset.

Moreover, they were charging one of the highest fees in the school system of our country. The finances generated by the school system and their allied shadow organizations were found to be channeled to FETO outfits around the world.

Upon receiving intimation from the Turkish government, the Ministry of the Interior canceled all MoUs signed with the Pak-Turk Education Foundation because, deceptively, they were registered with the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to perpetuate its terrorist agenda financed by FETO.

The will of two governments, i.e. Pakistan and Turkey, was defeated by a fraudulent exercise of its registration with the Securities and Exchange Commission and creating a fake board of governors.

The issuance of a No Objection Certificate as a registered company was itself a violation of the permission by the governments of Pakistan, Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Ministry of Interior, as well as from the Embassy of the Republic of Turkey. There were more than 400 Turkish citizens in Pakistan at the time, running and administering almost 14 different shadow organizations, including the schools, and most of them were an active part of FETO.

Having realized that Turkey would demand their extradition from Pakistan, they somehow managed to get refugee status from the United Nations office in Pakistan. Though they were not Syrians in Turkey or Myanmar Muslims in Bangladesh, they were still able to get refugee status in Pakistan.

Also, they filed different writ petitions in all four high courts in Pakistan and received 18 restraining orders, one after the other, directing the state of Pakistan not to extradite or hand over them to Turkey and also restraining the government from handing over FETO-linked schools which were demanded by our sister country.

SAJID: I remained a part of this struggle to curb their nefarious agenda and ultimately, I filed a constitutional petition with the Supreme Court of Pakistan with the pleas that the federal government has enough reasons at the local and international level to be directed to declare FETO a terror organization and to list it in the First Schedule according to Section 11-B of the Anti-Terrorism Act 1997, in the best interest of the public at large.

Section 11-B says: “The Federal Government may, by order published in the Official Gazette, list an organization as a proscribed organization in the First Schedule on an ex-Parte basis, if there are reasonable grounds to believe that it is— (a) concerned in terrorism; or (b) owned or controlled, directly or indirectly, by any individual or organization proscribed under this Act; or (c) acting on behalf of, or at the direction of, any individual or organization proscribed under this Act.”

It further explains that the opinion concerning reasonable grounds to believe may be formed on the basis of information received from any credible source, whether domestic or foreign, including governmental and regulatory authorities, law enforcement agencies, financial intelligence units, banks and non-banking companies, and international institutions.

Then the existing management of the Pak-Turk Education Foundation applied to the Securities and Exchange Commission of Pakistan to change its name to the “Golden Generation Education Foundation,” but their request was directed for rejection because an organization which was established with an understanding between the two states, under current management, cannot change its status or name to any other level without permission from the respective states.

The second plea of the subject petition was that in light of the understanding during the highest official meetings between the two governments held on Nov. 16, 2016, and Feb. 22, 2017, the honorable court may be pleased to declare the registration of the company opposed to the national interest, security, and integrity of Pakistan.

It was further requested that the federal government be directed to take over the management of Turkish schools and subsequently to hand over them over to the Turkiye Maarif Foundation in the best interest of historic relations between the sister Muslim states.

Here, I referred to Article 40 of the Constitution of Pakistan, which clearly speaks of strengthening the bonds with the Muslim world and promoting international peace. It says: “The state shall endeavor to preserve and strengthen the fraternal relations among Muslim countries based on Islamic Unity, support the common interest of people of Asia, Africa and Latin America, promote international peace and security, foster goodwill and friendly relations among all nations and encourage the settlement of international disputes by peaceful means.”

FETO involved in money laundering, terrorist financing

Q: What’s the current status of FETO in Pakistan?

SAJID: Soon after the announcement of the remarkable verdict of the Supreme Court of Pakistan, its wanted terrorists fled the country and moved to some parts of Europe but mainly, they established themselves in African Union countries, where they already had some roots and networks for a couple of decades.

Q: As they fled Pakistan and most of them went to Africa, as an expert jurist, were you still able to organize something efforts against them in Africa?

SAJID: Yes. Given the strong bonds between our two nations, I was persuaded to show our genuine outpouring and unflinching support to our Turkish brethren. I visited Addis Ababa, Ethiopia, where I held meetings with the heads of their state institutions. I warned authorities about the concealed operations of FETO, that how under the cover and veil of philanthropists, these FETO members are involved in money laundering and terrorist financing.

Moreover, I told them of the lurking fear of the youth getting involved in the nefarious activities. Further, I briefed how a sinister linkage and illicit activities have been identified by various countries including Pakistan about FETO and the management of their organized school systems.

The organization has been associated with subversive international terrorism, which is evident in its spreading violence and imperiling the political stability and security of the Republic of Turkey in the recent past.

Many other countries have also been experiencing terrorism of unprecedented quality and magnitude for more than a decade. Timely and appropriate action is required where this terrorism already has a monstrous face in the world.

Any sort of showing misplaced softness towards FETO could wreak havoc with the public interest and the national security of your country.

The authorities in Addis Ababa showed their uprightness and full support, which resulted in the start of criminal investigations against the FETO network in Ethiopia.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Stressing the strong economic ties between the two countries, Turkey’s finance and treasury minister on Wednesday met with Chinese investors from various sectors.

“We discussed our reform program, trade in local currencies, high-tech investments, (and China’s) Belt and Road Initiative,” Lutfi Elvan wrote on Twitter after the videoconference.

Turkey will use economic diplomacy in the most effective way to promote economic growth led by the real sector, Elvan pledged.

The meeting was hosted by Liu Shaobin, China’s ambassador to Ankara, said a ministry statement.

Noting that more than 1,100 Chinese companies currently operate in Turkey, Elvan hailed the growing interest in Turkey by Chinese investors, especially technology companies.

Turkey places great importance on being in close contact with Chinese firms, he added.

“Now is the time to further expand investments, create new opportunities and even further develop our cooperation in other countries,” said Elvan.

Source: Anadolu Agency

A Turkish charity plans to distribute aid in 65 countries around the globe during next week’s Muslim holiday of Eid al-Adha, according to a statement by the group on Wednesday.

Many Muslim-majority countries, including Turkey, will mark the first day of the four-day holiday also known as the Feast of the Sacrifice, next Tuesday.

Turkey’s Humanitarian Relief Foundation (IHH) has plans to distribute sacrificial meat to 65 countries and regions, as its teams will travel around the world with this year’s slogan, “Remember them on Eid al-Adha.”

The holiday commemorates the willingness of the Prophet Ibrahim, or Abraham, to sacrifice his son at Allah’s command, before the last-minute divine substitute of a ram. During the holiday, sacrificed meat is distributed to the needy.

The IHH first launched a project to distribute Eid al-Adha meat — from sacrificed livestock — in 1993 and has visited dozens of countries every year to deliver aid to those in need ever since.

Hasan Aynaci, the charity foundation’s deputy chair for foreign relations, said in the statement that its teams will work in many regions across Africa, Asia, and the Balkans.

“In this way, we will also have conducted projects for water wells, cataract surgery, schools, health centers, and others based on the needs of those regions,” he said.

Source: Anadolu Agency

Russia is concerned over the growing intensity of hostilities in Afghanistan but does not believe the Taliban will try to seize power in the country, said the Russian presidential envoy for Afghanistan.

The most active clashes are happening in the northern provinces bordering Central Asian states that are allies and partners of Russia, Zamir Kabulov said Tuesday in an interview with Anadolu Agency.

“In recent days, the intensity of hostilities has been increasing, especially in the northern provinces of the country, against the background of the almost completed withdrawal of US and NATO troops. This situation cannot but worry us. At the same time, we believe that there is no danger of a violent seizure of power by the Taliban movement today,” Kabulov said.

The diplomat pointed out that the clashes are mainly happening in rural areas, and the cities are not assaulted, although they are taken into a “tight siege.”

“The purpose of the Taliban is to strengthen their position before the start of peace negotiations. The Taliban are aware of the negative consequences of the forceful scenario of coming to power and are not interested in its implementation. They declare their intention to achieve reconciliation through negotiations, including in contacts with us,” he said.

Russia has taken steps to prevent the spread of combat activities from Afghanistan to the bordering countries, and this issue was discussed directly with the Taliban during their visit to Moscow, Kabulov said.

The envoy readdressed to the Defense Ministry the question about the possible reinforcement of Russia’s military base in Tajikistan. However, he expects that “Russia will use all available opportunities to counter the ‘overflow’ of tensions from the northern regions of Afghanistan to the territories of its allies in Central Asia.”

Kabulov was skeptical about the idea of the temporary deployment of US troops in the Central Asian states. He said the process of withdrawing US troops from Afghanistan should not turn into the relocation of US military infrastructure to neighboring countries.

“Twenty years of the US and NATO campaign in Afghanistan have proven that the presence of American military bases does not contribute to strengthening stability and security in the region. As far as we know, other regional states maintain a similar position,” he noted.

The situation in Afghanistan is evolving very dynamically, and Moscow as an active player can host intra-Afghan events aimed at pushing the peace talks, Kabulov added.

“We do not rule out holding meetings in Moscow in the foreseeable future, including within the framework of the expanded ‘troika’ (comprising Russia, the US, China, and Pakistan) as well as the Moscow format of consultations on Afghanistan,” he said.

Russia opposes Turkish military mission to guard Kabul airport

Asked about the potential scenario of a Turkish military mission guarding the international airport in Kabul, the diplomat said that “such an agreement was reached between Ankara and Washington without taking into account the opinion of the Kabul (government).”

“The presence of a Turkish military contingent after the end of the withdrawal of US and NATO troops from Afghanistan contradicts the provisions of the US-Taliban agreement concluded on Feb. 29, 2020, in Doha.

“Moreover, the Taliban were unequivocally negative about any foreign military presence after the end of the American military campaign in the IRA [Islamic Republic of Afghanistan]. During the recent consultations in Moscow [held on July 8], the Taliban envoys once again condemned Ankara’s decision and called it a mistake,” Kabulov said.

This means that Turkey will have to somehow settle the issue of involving its military in the protection of the Kabul airport with the Afghan authorities and the Taliban, he said.

As for Russia’s opinion, Kabulov said: “We believe that maintaining the mission of the Turkish military in Afghanistan after the withdrawal of US and NATO troops will hinder the early settlement of the situation in the IRA and the launch of the national reconciliation process.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Federal Reserve Chair Jerome Powell said Wednesday that US inflation is expected to remain high in the coming months

“Inflation has increased notably and will likely remain elevated in coming months before moderating,” he told the House of Representatives Committee on Financial Services during his semi-annual monetary policy report to Congress.

Powell said the coronavirus pandemic created production bottlenecks and supply constraints, and strong demand in certain sectors has been noticed with normalization, thus limited production has led to rapid price increases for some goods and services.

“Measures of longer-term inflation expectations have moved up from their pandemic lows and are in a range that is broadly consistent with the FOMC’s [Federal Open Market Committee] longer-run inflation goal,” he said.

Although the Fed has repeatedly said it would allow inflation to float above its 2% target for some time to heat the American economy, inflation has recently increased well above that level.

Consumer prices rose 0.9% in June on a monthly basis and soared 5.4% on an annual basis. Producer prices were up 1% and 7.3%, respectively.

Although the labor market has continued to improve, Powell said “there is still a long way to go.”

“Labor demand appears to be very strong; job openings are at a record high, hiring is robust, and many workers are leaving their current jobs to search for better ones,” he said.

But he noted that “the labor market has not moved up from the low rates that have prevailed for most of the past year.”

The number of unemployed individuals in the US rose to 9.5 million in June, up from 9.3 million the previous month, the Labor Department said July 2.

The unemployment rate rose to 5.9% in June, after standing at 5.8% in May.

Source: Anadolu Agency

The British government will work with the Taliban if they come back to power in Afghanistan, according to British Defense Secretary Ben Wallace.

The lessons of the past 20 years – the last time the group held power – “will not have been lost on the Taliban,” he told the Telegraph newspaper in an interview published Tuesday.

This April the US announced it would pull out all its troops from Afghanistan by Sept. 11, two decades since the 9/11 attacks – the attacks that triggered the US-led invasion to topple the Taliban with support from the UK. The Taliban had given shelter to the al-Qaeda terrorist attackers.

Last week, British Prime Minister Boris Johnson announced that the UK had ended its military presence in Afghanistan after two decades of war.

Since the announcement of US withdrawal, the Taliban have been gaining ground, with most observers seeing it controlling most of Afghanistan’s territory, if not toppling the government in the capital Kabul.

Wallace conceded that the Taliban would probably have a role in running Afghanistan in the future, but also said that they would not again grant shelter to terrorist groups who attack the West.

“Whatever the government of the day is, provided it adheres to certain international norms, the UK government will engage with it,” he said.

He added, however: “Just like other governments around the world, if they behave in a way that is seriously against human rights, we will review that relationship.”

The Taliban rule of 1996-2001 came under fierce criticism for human rights violations.

Taliban won’t want to ‘risk isolation’

The war in Afghanistan also cost the lives of 457 British service personnel.

Wallace said: “Afghan veterans will be asking themselves about the Taliban. All peace processes require you to come to terms with the enemy. Sometimes, that’s what it is.”

He said what the Taliban “desperately want” is international recognition.

“They need to unlock financing and support (for) nation building, and you don’t do that with a terrorist balaclava on,” Wallace said.

“You have to be a partner for peace otherwise you risk isolation. Isolation led them to where they were last time,” he stressed.

“The poverty of their own people is an important issue to be dealt with, and you cannot deal with that on your own in isolation. When you’re one of the poorest nations on earth you need the help of the international community.”

Wallace called on the Taliban and Western-backed Afghan President Ashraf Ghani to work together to bring stability to the war-torn country.

“Now is the time for both of them to show leadership and bring together Afghanistan,” Wallace said.

“But in the end, if there is a government, and it is a government of both (Taliban and non-Taliban) and we have committed to a diplomatic relationship, then that’s exactly what it will be.”

Source: Anadolu Agency

Germany on Wednesday voiced strong support for the embattled Afghan government as the Taliban insurgents take control of more and more territory in Afghanistan.

“We remain firmly on the side of the Afghan government. We agree with the international community that we support the [Afghan] government and the president,” Rainer Breul, spokesperson for the German Foreign Ministry, said at a weekly press briefing in Berlin.

He said Germany has no diplomatic contacts with the Taliban as the insurgents are not a government.

Breul stressed that it is “crucial to continue political dialogue” between the Afghan government and the Taliban to finally bring peace to the war-stricken country.

Alongside the nearly completed US withdrawal, Berlin pulled out its last remaining soldiers from Afghanistan late last month after nearly two decades, ending the country’s most lethal military operation since World War II.

Germany had the second-largest contingent of troops in Afghanistan after the US, with around 160,000 soldiers reportedly deployed over the past two decades.

A total of 59 German soldiers died in Afghanistan, including 35 in combat operations.

The military mission in Afghanistan cost German taxpayers an estimated €12.5 billion ($14.8 billion).

Source: Anadolu Agency

US stocks opened higher on Wednesday despite producer inflation exceeding market expectations.

The Dow Jones soared 161 points, or 0.46%, to 35,060 at 9.42 a.m. EDT (1342GMT). The S&P 500 added 24, or 0.52%, to 4,392 — a new all-time high.

Increasing by 79, or 0.54%, the Nasdaq saw 14,757. Apple stocks rose to a new record of $148.96 per share.

The dollar index was down 0.33% to 92.45 and the VIX volatility index, known as the fear index, plummeted 5.8% 16.12.

The yield on 10-year US Treasury notes also declined 2.4% to 1.381%.

While gold increased by 1% at $1,825 per ounce, silver jumped 1.3% to $26.34.

The Producer Price Index (PPI) in the US rose 1% last month, higher than analysts’ expectation of 0.6%. The index soared by 7.3% in June from the same month last year, which again was much higher than the estimated 6.8%.

Source: Anadolu Agency