Chairman of Türkiye-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group says rescuing the remains of a Pakistani migrant who died near Turkish-Bulgarian border was among the experiences that made the state honour deeply meaningful
ANKARA: Chairman of the Türkiye-Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group and Member of the Grand National Assembly of Türkiye Ali Şahin has recalled the humanitarian story behind his receiving Pakistan’s Sitar-i-Pakistan state award in 2019, describing it as one of the most valuable honours of his life.
Speaking during a television interview, Şahin said he regarded the award as recognition not only of his efforts to strengthen Pakistan-Türkiye relations but also of the humanitarian work he had undertaken during years of engagement with Pakistan.
He recalled that his connection with Pakistan had continued long after his seven-year experience involving journeys between Karachi and Gaziantep, which he described as a period of considerable hardship but also of deep personal significance.
After returning from Pakistan, Şahin said he established the South Asia Strategic Research Center (GASAM) in Istanbul, a think tank focused on South Asian affairs. He also served as an honorary adviser to the Consulate General of Pakistan in Istanbul, maintaining close contacts with Pakistani institutions and communities.
He said that after becoming a Member of Parliament, he joined the Pakistan Parliamentary Friendship Group in 2011, through which he continued working to strengthen relations between the two countries.
Şahin recalled that while serving as Deputy Minister for European Union Affairs in 2016, he received an unexpected message on social media from Pakistan.
The message contained a letter written in Urdu, bearing two fingerprints, along with a passport and a photograph of a young man. The accompanying appeal read: “Sir, please try to help this poor family.”
According to Şahin, the letter was written by the mother of a young Pakistani man named Selman Khan, who had died while attempting to travel from Pakistan through Iran and Türkiye towards Europe.
“The mother was appealing to me to help bring her son’s body back to her,” Şahin recalled, describing the message as a profound shock.
He immediately sought to determine where Selman Khan’s body was located. From information provided to him, he understood that the young man had died in the Kırklareli area near Türkiye’s border with Bulgaria.
Şahin said that before even reaching his ministry office, he contacted the governor of Kırklareli and asked whether the authorities had recovered the body of a Pakistani national.
“I was told that a young foreign national had unfortunately been found dead, having apparently frozen to death,” he recalled.
Şahin then requested that the necessary procedures be expedited so the young man could be returned to his family in Pakistan. He also said he contacted Turkish Airlines in an effort to facilitate the repatriation.
He particularly remembered the importance of preparing Selman Khan’s face before his mother saw him for the final time.
Şahin explained that he requested that the young man’s face be respectfully prepared so that his mother would remember him with a peaceful and dignified expression rather than as someone who had suffered in his final moments.
“We prepared him so that his mother could see him and preserve a dignified final image of her son in her memory,” he recalled.
The humanitarian effort to return Selman Khan to his mother, Şahin said, became one of the experiences that made the 2019 Sitar-i-Pakistan award especially meaningful to him.
He described the honour as a recognition of the human connection between the two countries and said it remained among the most precious distinctions he had received.
Şahin also highlighted his continued efforts to strengthen Pakistan-Türkiye relations through parliamentary diplomacy, institutional engagement and people-to-people contacts.
The Turkish parliamentarian said his enduring relationship with Pakistan reflected a commitment that went beyond official positions, emphasizing the importance of maintaining direct channels of communication and responding to humanitarian appeals.
Reflecting on the trust placed in him by Pakistanis, Şahin said the experience demonstrated the depth of the bond between the peoples of Türkiye and Pakistan and the importance of humanitarian solidarity in strengthening relations between the two brotherly countries.
