Turkish Prime Minister (PM) Recep Tayyip Erdogan was in Pakistan on a two-day state visit. He was accompanied by a high-powered trade delegation. Leaders from both the countries while speaking at the Pakistan-Turkey Business Forum 2013 said that this networking among the investors would pave the way for economic cooperation and integration between Turkey and Pakistan in the long run. For a deeper economic relationship, the two countries have agreed to start the Islamabad-Tehran-Istanbul ECO container train. Another agreement was signed to conclude a Preferential Trade Agreement (PTA) in the first three months of 2014. These two steps together would strengthen connectivity and facilitate trade relations. Two MoUs have also been inked, one for disaster management and the other for sports cooperation. Finding cultural relations important for stronger ties, the Turkish PM has announced the opening of a Turkish Cultural Centre in Lahore. Turkey’s close relationship with Pakistan is indefinable, as was once said by Turkish President Abdullah Gul. The interplay of history, religion, culture and politics has made the two countries, in spite of distance, inseparable. We have a lot to learn from Turkey, and the good thing is that the country is willing to pass on its technical, economic and business expertise to us. PM Erdogan was delighted to see the Turkish-supported Metro Bus Service in Lahore, and has asked the government to start similar projects in other parts of the country as well. Turkey is willing and ready to do this and much more for Pakistan to see it prosper. Turkey is perhaps one of the very few countries that give respect to Pakistanis and embrace them with an open heart. But what Pakistan did to Turkey is not worthy of these close ties. The Karkey ship-mounted power plant stranded in the waters of the Arabian Sea in Karachi has been a source of unnecessary strain between the two countries. The intervention of the Supreme Court over the alleged charges of corruption in the Rental Power Projects undertaken by Pakistan to overcome electricity shortages in the short-term has rendered the contract of the power plant Karkey infructuous. The dispute is now being heard in the International Court of Arbitration while the National Accountability Bureau is seeking $ 17.5 million in reimbursement from the Karkey ship. PM Nawaz Sharif was requested by the Turkish government during his trip to Turkey in September this year to personally solve the issue. The ungratefulness that we have shown towards a friendly country like Turkey, when there are already few left to support us, is regrettable. There could have been a better way to solve the Karkey issue considering that it could damage the relations between the two countries. It goes to the credit of the magnanimity of the Turkish government that in spite of our being inconsiderate, it has not stepped away from assisting Pakistan. In a different legal atmosphere today the government might find it easier to solve the problem without further delay. We need to keep our relations with Turkey alive and kicking while at the same time learning from its political and economic experiences. The present Turkish government has achieved remarkable feats in the economic sphere. As PM Erdogan said, Turkey has made efforts for a stable political milieu that gave the required impetus for economic development. This is what Pakistan needs at this point of time: political stability with a grasp of the importance of continuity in policies to build investors’ confidence and attract investment. Adopting Turkey’s policy framework with local solutions, the present government could earn kudos, just as the Erdogan party has earned in Turkey, hence its three consecutive terms in office. It is only by serving people through sustained and transparent policies that any government can win its people’s hearts. *