28 Turkish teachers removed from Gulen-run Pak-Turk schools

Islamabad: In a fallout of the Turkey coup, Pakistan-Turkey (Pak-Turk) International schools have removed Turkish principals of 28 schools and colleges across the country, and the management of the chain also dissolved the board of directors which represented Turkish nationals, media reported on Wednesday.

The status of the schools plunged into uncertainty after Turkey's Foreign Minister Mevlut Cavuolu called on the Pakistan government to close down all institutions, claiming they are backed by the Fethullah Gulen-inspired Hizmet movement.

Last week, during an official visit to Islamabad, Cavusoglu stressed the chain of "Gulen-run" schools in Pakistan should be shut down.

Ankara claims that Gulen, who is living in self-imposed exile in the US, was the mastermind of the failed military coup in Turkey a few weeks back. President Recep Tayyip Erdogan blamed the cleric - a former Erdogan ally - and followers for the rebellion and demanded his extradition. Gulen, however, has denied any involvement.

On August 6, the Islamabad High Court granted the deputy attorney general three weeks to seek instructions from the ministry of interior and the ministry of foreign affairs after the Pak-Turk Education Foundation moved the IHC against the possible closure of its school network by the government.