Turkey takes over FETO-linked schools in Pakistan

By Muhammed Semih Ugurlu

ISLAMABAD (AA) - Turkiye Maarif Foundation took over the management of education institutions once linked to the Fetullah Terrorist Organization (FETO) in Pakistan.

In a written statement, the foundation said Pak-Turk Cag Education Foundation schools were handed over to Turkey’s education body.

Last month, the Supreme Court of Pakistan ordered the government to declare the FETO a terror group and ruled the handing over of the FETO-linked schools to the Turkiye Maarif Foundation.

Turkey established the Maarif Foundation in 2016 after a coup attempt to take over the administration of overseas schools linked to FETO. It also establishes schools and education centers abroad.

FETO and its U.S.-based leader Fetullah Gulen orchestrated the defeated coup of July 15, 2016 in Turkey, which left 251 people martyred and nearly 2,200 injured.

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