LAHORE: The Human Rights Commission of Pakistan HRCP has called for the immediate release of former Director of Pak-Turk school Mr. Mesut Kacmaz’s family including two young daughters who were abducted in the wee hours of Wednesday.

The family had been living in Pakistan for a year, on UNHCR asylum seeker certificate, which allowed them to stay in Pakistan till November, 2017.

Sources in the Park Turk School said Kacmaz’s has been living in Pakistan for than 12 years. There are 17 Turkish families living in Lahore and 70 Turkish families in Pakistan.

Kacmaz has been very active person of the Turkish community based in Lahore.  The abduction of high profile Turkish national raised eyebrows among community members based in Lahore.  “We are afraid about other Turkish families’ future and this is about the future of Pakistan Turkey relations,” a close aide of Kacmaz told The Nation.

 “Mr Kacmaz used to organise session, forums and dialogue at Rumi forum. Government officials and bureaucrats used to attend those sessions in the past. It is worrisome that personality like Mr. Kacmaz who has spent his 12 years in Pakistan now has been abducted,” he said. 

Kacmaz’s was chairman of Pak Rumi Forum, a forum which has been designated to promote the peace, tolerance and inter-faith and inter-religion harmony.

Rumi Forum was supported by ‘Hizmet Movement’ inspired by US-based cleric Fethullah Gülen. Last year in July a coup attempt was foiled by Turkish government. Turkish President Tayyip Erdogan accused the coup leaders of having links with Gülen movement. The movement was later declared a terrorist organization by Turkey.

Pak-Turk School Director Education Lahore Mr. Orhan told The Nation the fate of other families is at stake after this abduction incident. “We are going to hold a press conference on Thursday to raise our concerns on the incidents,” he said. 

He said Kacmaz spent the best part of his life in Pakistan for promotion of peace and harmony and treating a person like this is not a good gesture at all. He called upon Pakistan government to intervene for immediate recovery of the Kacmaz’s family.

HRCP said the family was roughed-up, hooded, handcuffed and taken in a wagon. “They were taken to a well furnished house where several other interrogators were also present. A Turkish neighbour who protested was also picked-up but later released. He witnessed the entire episode including the abduction and brutality meted out to the Kacmaz family,” HRCP stated.

HRCP urged the government to immediately release the Kacmaz family and desist from deporting them; as there are credible reports of other Turkish educationists being arrested upon their arrival in Turkey and their subsequent torture.