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Pakistan Expels Turkish Staff From PakTurk Schools


FILE: A PakTurk school in Islamabad, Pakistan.
FILE: A PakTurk school in Islamabad, Pakistan.

Pakistan has ordered teachers and other Turkish staff at schools with alleged links to Fethullah Gulen, the U.S.-based cleric Ankara blames for orchestrating a failed coup in July, to leave the country.

Reports said the teachers at PakTurk International Schools and Colleges and their families -- totaling about 500 people -- were asked to leave by November 20 because of their requests for visa extensions were not approved.

The move comes as Pakistan prepares to host the Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan later on November 16.

Ankara has asked Islamabad to close down any groups in the country that have links to Gulen.

PakTurk, which educates more than 10,000 students in Pakistan, denies any affiliation with the cleric or his movement.

It said its schools would continue operating across Pakistan.

Based on reporting by Reuters and Dawn

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