Will Pakistanis get Turkish citizenship under new agreement? Fact-check

Islamabad: Social media these days is abuzz with speculations that Pakistan and Turkey have struck an agreement under which citizens of both the countries will get dual nationalities (of Pakistan and Turkey).

The rumors started after Federal Minister for Interior Brig (R) Ijaz Ahmad Shah met with the Turkish Ambassador Ihsan Mustafa Yurdakul at the Ministry of Interior on Thursday.

A statement issued after the meeting said that said ”  Turkish Ambassador on behalf of their government proposed that both the countries should sign an agreement regarding providing dual nationality to the citizens. In response to this the Minister said that the draft is under consideration and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs is on board with us, we hope to reach a mutual conclusion soon. To which the Ambassador added that we hope that the process can be expedited and the final results can be achieved soon.”

 A large number of social media users saw it as a historic move.

Ankara-based Pakistani journalist Hasan Abdullah, who is associated with Turkey’s state-run TRT channel, on Saturday poured cold water on the jubilation of Pakistani social media users

Abudllah said Pakistan and Turkey are planning to hammer out an agreement under which a Pakistan citizen will not have to surrender his Pakistani citizenship if he/she manages to acquire Turkish citizen ship. Same would be the case with Turkish citizens in case they choose to get Pakistani citizenship.

According to the journalist, this is not the first agreement of its kind which Pakistan is planning to enter with a country.

Islamabad has already signed such agreement with the United States, the United Kingdom and Canada.