Information Minister Attaullah Tarar and the Turkish presidency’s communications head agreed on Saturday to initiate joint broadcasts between Pakistan’s PTV and Turkey’s state-run TRT, including popular Turkish dramas in Pakistan.
This agreement emerged during Tarar’s three-day official trip to Turkey, where he met with Professor Fahrettin Altun, the Turkish presidency’s head of communications. Tarar is representing Pakistan at the Stratcom Summit 2024 in Istanbul. On Friday, he visited TRT World’s headquarters to discuss media collaboration between the two nations.
In their discussions, Tarar and Altun focused on enhancing media cooperation, promoting public diplomacy, and addressing Islamophobia and misinformation.
Radio Pakistan announced that a working group will be formed between Pakistan’s Ministry of Information and Broadcasting and Turkey’s Directorate of Communications, with designated focal persons from both countries.
“Pakistan and Turkey share deep, historical ties,” noted Tarar, Pakistan’s minister for information, broadcasting, national heritage, and culture. He emphasized the substantial potential for media collaboration to bolster public connections.
Their discussions also covered cooperation in entertainment and tourism, as well as the development of joint projects. Tarar expressed that these initiatives would facilitate cultural exchanges and emphasized the importance of educating the youth about the historical links between the two nations.
Professor Altun expressed keen interest in Pakistan’s media developments and remarked on the popularity of the Turkish drama ‘Ertugrul Ghazi’ in Pakistan. He also praised Pakistani artists and musicians, noting their high regard in Turkey.
Altun emphasized that enhanced media cooperation would contribute significantly to combating Islamophobia and misinformation.
