Opposition leader warns Turkey in process of ‘Pakistanization’

The leader of Turkey's main opposition party, Kemal Kılıçdaroğlu, slammed the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) leaders for “turning Turkey into a bloodbath” and said they should be tried for “aiding and abetting terrorist organizations.”

In a speech to members of the CHP İstanbul branch, Kılıçdaroğlu said neighboring Syria has become a new Afghanistan, an operational center for all jihadist groups. “They went there under the protection offered by the government. Turkey has become embroiled in a process of Pakistanization,” he said.

The CHP leader noted 234 people were killed in six bombings across Turkey over the past six months. “No country that is not in a war has been through such a deep trauma. How can it be that 234 people have been killed over the past six months but no is held accountable politically?” he said.

Twenty-eight people, mostly soldiers, were killed when a car filled with explosives exploded as buses carrying military personnel stopped at a traffic light in downtown Ankara on Feb. 17. It was the second bombing in the city over the past four months. On Oct. 10, more than 100 people were killed when two bombs exploded seconds apart among a crowd headed to a peace rally, in the bloodiest terrorist attack in the history of the Republic of Turkey.

President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan and Prime Minister Ahmet Davutoğlu accused the Syrian Kurdish People's Protection Units (YPG) of being behind the Feb. 17 attack, although its political arm, the Democratic Union Party (PYD) denied any YPG involvement. The Oct. 10 attack is believed to have been carried out by militants linked to the Islamic State of Iraq and the Levant (ISIL), although the government insisted that the Kurdistan Workers' Party (PKK) terrorist group was also involved.

Kılıçdaroğlu said ISIL has emerged as a new source of trouble, as if the PKK were not enough. “You handed them guns, you turned cities into weapon warehouses. ISIL has recruited militants from 70 provinces across Turkey,” he said, adding that the AK Party leaders, including President Erdoğan, should be held accountable for what he called aiding and abetting terrorist organizations.

“Why has Turkey been Pakistanized? Because [it] aided and abetted [terrorist groups]. Everyone should be aware of this fact,” he said.

The CHP leader said the terrorist groups gained ground in Turkey because the country is not well governed and added that former President Abdullah Gül, who co-founded the AK Party, partly shares these concerns as well.

Gül, speaking to reporters on Feb. 19, said Turkey was going through the most difficult time in its history, in comments on the latest bombing in Ankara.