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Turkey’s coup conspirator network present in India: Ambassador

By News Desk
July 20, 2016

ISLAMABAD: Turkey’s ambassador for New Delhi made a startling disclosure on Tuesday by claiming that Turkey’s coup conspirator had a network in India as the outfit Fethllahci Terror Organisation (FETO) has its presence in India as well. The outfit is being accused by Turkey’s ruling dispensation for an attempted coup.

The Indian media reported that almost three days after a 10-hour-long failed coup attempt in Turkey, the country’s Ambassador in Delhi Barak Akcapar made a shocking claim. He said the outfit FETO, blamed by Turkey’s ruling administration for the attempted coup, has its presence in India as well.

The organisation headed by the exiled Pennsylvanian-based Fethullah Gulen has been blamed by Turkey for orchestrating the entire exercise along with a section of the military.When asked about whether FETO also operates out of India, the ambassador said, “Yes, they have presence in India in various cities and we expect Indian government to take action. We feel they should have no place here. We have had initial consultation with India.”

When questioned further, Ambassador Akcapar said he does not want to divulge any more details of his interaction with the Indian authorities over the subject.According to the ambassador, Gulen has been exhorting those who are ‘inspired’ by him to infiltrate the state machinery and he says they have been quite successful in doing so which helped them attempt the coup on Friday night. The ambassador, like many of Gulen’s critics in the past, could be referring to a video that surfaced in 1999 in which Gulen is heard saying “You must move in the arteries of the system without anyone noticing your existence until you reach all the power centers. You must wait until such time as you have gotten all the state power, until you have brought to your side all the power of the constitutional institutions in Turkey.”

But Gulen’s supporters claimed that the video was altered. They insist their group, which they call Hizmet (Service), is entirely peaceful.Ambassador Akcapar said, “An extradition application for him is underway.” But the US Secretary of State John Kerry on Monday said no request was received from Turkey. Kerry added, “The US has a formal process for dealing with extradition requests, Turkey must send evidence, not allegations.”

Reportedly, Gulen’s supporters run 1,000 schools in more than 100 countries. His followers are also believed to be funding and running some educational institutions in India which might come under the scanner after Turkey taking up the matter with India. Ambassador Akcapar expressed confidence that “India will surely lend a sympathetic ear.”