The diaspora of any country is supposed to be its flag bearer in foreign land.
They are representative of a particular country’s ethos, culture and moral values. Their
behaviour is expected to be above board at all times. But not all countries are fortunate
to have an honest and upright diaspora doing their country proud. One such country
is Pakistan whose nationals abroad have brought shame for the country.
On April 14, 2022, Turkish authorities detained Junaid R, a Pakistani national,
found to be secretly taking pictures of women in Istanbul and sharing them on social
media. Junaid admitted that he secretly took pictures of women at the seaside, subway
and streets in Istanbul and posted them on his social media accounts. The
investigation in the case against Junaid under the charge of ‘Conveying the People to
Hatred and Enmity’ is underway. In another incident, two more Pakistani nationals
identified as ZW and UM were apprehended by Istanbul Police Department. These
men also secretly took pictures of women on the ferry and on the streets and posted
them on social media. Action has already been initiated against them.
Another act of unlawful activity by Pakistani nationals in Turkey came to light
when Beyog lu District Police Department arrested a Pakistani man on charges of
kidnapping and ransom demand. Four Nepali tourists visiting Taksim Square were
taken to a house in Eyupsultan after they were kidnapped by six people who were
stated to be Pakistani nationals. These people, who kept Nepali tourists here at
gunpoint for 3 days, demanded 10 thousand Euros from the families of the tourists.
While the families of Nepali tourists were preparing the ransom demanded, they also
informed the police. The Beyog lu District Police Department caught one of the
suspects during the ransom delivery. Upon revelation of the location of the hostages
from the arrested suspect, the teams conducted a raid on the address. During the
searches made by the teams at the house, the hostages were found with tied hands
and on the ground. The police team also seized several weapons.
The recent incidents by Pakistani nationals have tarnished the image of
Pakistan in Turkey. They are facing severe backlash on social media with trending
hashtags like #PakistaniPerverts and #PakstaniGetOut. The Turkish media has also
become vigilant and started posting unlawful acts of Pakistani men.
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Taking a strong view of the illegal activities of Pakistani nationals on Turkish
soil, the Turkish Government has started a drive to identify the legal status of stay of
Pakistani nationals. The prosecutor’s office is likely to bring charges against these
men who shot the videos. Turkey is already seeing a high anti refugee wave due to
Afghani and Syrian refugees. Now the Pakistani men by their pervert and illegal acts
have further heated the things up. The Pakistan Embassy and the Consulate were
forced to take out an advisory for their nationals to respect the cultural differences of
the countries and not to indulge into activities that tarnish the image of the country.
Turkey just got the taste of uncouth Pakistanis.
