Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif to Attend Turkish President Erdogan's Inauguration

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif of Pakistan will travel to Turkey on June 3 to attend the inauguration of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, following an invitation from President Erdogan. The purpose of the visit is to congratulate President Erdogan on his election victory and strengthen the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkey. During the visit, PM Shehbaz will also extend an invitation to President Erdogan to attend the 7th Meeting of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) in Islamabad. The Pakistan-Turkey relationship is characterized by shared faith, culture, history, and mutual trust on regional and global issues. The duration of the prime minister's trip was not specified in the Foreign Office statement, but sources indicate that it will be a two-day visit. This will be the fourth trip to Turkey by PM Shehbaz since assuming office. President Erdogan's recent election victory has extended his two-decade-long rule and reinforced his position as a regional military power. The opposition, led by Kemal Kilicdaroglu, criticized the election as unfair but did not dispute the outcome. The official results showed Erdogan winning 52.1% of the votes, indicating a deeply divided nation. Erdogan's victory is seen as a blow to opponents who accuse him of undermining democracy and consolidating power. In his victory speech, Erdogan called for unity but also launched criticisms against the opposition and accused Kilicdaroglu of supporting terrorists without providing evidence. He highlighted inflation as the country's most pressing issue.