No not really ! If Political Islam were the reasons why we liked or disliked a Leader then Khomeni & others from the Muslim world who've used Islam for Political purposes would be high on our list - They are not !
On the other hand some of the more Secular & Nationalistic leaders like Saddam, Shah of Iran, King Faisal, Gaddaffi etc. are admired in Pakistan for their guts & their stances even if we may not agree with all they did to their own people !
Pakistanis like Erdogan for one reason & one reason alone - Governance !
Turkiye before Erdogan was just as bad or as good as the rest of us; in fact the Pakistan of the '60s & the '70s was considerably more economically developed than Turkiye - Why ? Because of Political Islam or Secularism ? No.....because of better Governance that even prompted the South Koreans to come to Pakistan during Ayub Khan's time & copy our Economic Model !
After that the Iranian Revolution, the Arab response to that, the Afghan Jihad & our own ample mistakes monumentally foOked up the country otherwise we would've been pretty much arlight !
We like Erdogan not because he wants to create a Islamic State out of Turkiye or wants to Secularize Turkiye even further - Frankly....we don't care either way because thats for the Turkish People to decide !
We like him because he came....took the Economic Policies of the '90s (Kemal Dervish's I think) & institutionalized them for the betterment of Turkiye & under him the Sick Man of Europe that Turkiye still was in many ways became an emerging economy to rival any present in the EU right now !
He came & ensured that Turkiye which was for a time looking to the EU to let them in was now in a position to show the EU the middle finger so far as joining the EU was concerned !
Naturally we admire him for that !
So far as banning Alcohol or Islamizing the Turkish State or Secularizing the Turkish State is concerned - Why in heaven's name would we care either way ?
If Turkiye were to become the Islamic State of Turkiye - What difference would that make to us ?
Likewise if Turkiye were to become Secular to the point of being Anti-Religious State - What difference would that make to us ?
As far as the Israel thing is concerned - Its about perspectives !
Most Turks go ape-sh*t about anything that has anything to do with Turks or Turkic People or Turkishness or any of those Ethnic Undertones !
Most Pakistanis behave pretty much the same way when it comes to Muslims !
For you guys your Ethnicity matters above everything else.....for us our Religion does - If supporting or opposing a country on the basis of one isn't wrong then I fail to see how could it be wrong in case of the other ?
@
Sinan @
xenon54 @
Cuneyt Arkin