Malik Muhammad Aslam Awan;
Islam has a galaxy of illuminating personalities whose names would not only remain luminous in the pages of world history, their long term reforms and incessant services to the Muslim community will ‘also’ make them prominent not only in this world rather in the world hereafter. Rajab Tayyab Erdogan is a continuation of rich hierarchy of personalities who had inborn ambition to serve their nation and in larger perspective to serve the whole Muslim Ummah. Since the days of his early age his heart was filled with the zeal to serve his countrymen and disentangle the country from the net of host of domestic issues and raise the Turkey to the echelon having prominent status in the comity of the nations. Recep Rajab Tayyab Erdogan is making hectic efforts for the renaissance of the Uthmania state and the lost glory of Islam. He is endeavoring hard to have cordial ties with Pakistan and other Muslims states to combat the challenges, issues deliberately created by the world powers to get entangled the Muslim Ummah to a down state, never let rise to achieve the lost glory. His cherished design is to make Turkey and Pakistan citadels of Islam, playing a leading role for the betterment of whole mankind, irrespective of the cast, creed, religion and territorial bounds. If the historians of Muslim annals do not recognize the services of Rajab Tayyab Erdogan, it would a grating injustice not only with the star dignitary of Muslim Ummah (Rajab Tayyab Erdogan) but also the distortion of facts and grave blunder and exhibition of being biased. Unbiased historian don’t describe the deeds of a dignitary but explores the righteous impacts of their acts on mankind. History of the world would remain incomplete without the narration of “the Son of Islam”- Rajab Tayyab Erdogan and his hectic efforts for the uplift of Turkey in every sphere of life.
Rajab Tayyab Erdogan was born in Istanbul on Feb 26, 1954. He graduated from Kasim Pasa Piyale Primary School in 1965 and completed his high school education at Istanbul Imam Hatip school ( religious vocational High school) in 1973-having succeeded in the necessary examinations for additional course, Mr. Rajab Tayyab Erdogan received a diploma from Eyup High School. He received his graduation diploma from Marmara University,s faculty of Economics and Administrative sciences in 1981. Since his youth Mr. Rajab Tayyab Erdogan has opted to lead a social life intertwining with politics. From 1969 to 1982 he remained actively interested in football, which taught him the significance of team work and spirit in his younger years. Being inspired of team work and its yielding repercussions in every walk of life Erdogan as an idealist, followed the track and stepped into active politics. Assuming active responsibilities at the students branch of national Turkish Students’ Association during his high school and university years, Mr. Rajab Tayyab Erdogan was elected the Head of the MSP Beyoglu Youth Branch in 1976 and he was also elected as the Head of MSP Istanbul Youth Branch in the same year. Holding this position until 1980, he served as consultant and senior executive in the private sector during the September 12 era, when the political parties were closed down. Rajab Tayyab Erdogan returned to political activities with the welfare party, established in 1983 and he was elected the Beyoglu District Head of the Welfare Party in 1984 and in the same year he became the member of the Central Executive Board of the Welfare Party. Developing a new organizational structure which served as model for other political parties during his tenure as Istanbul Provincial Head. Rajab Tayyab Erdogan carried out projects that aimed at urging the participation of women and youth in politics, thus taking important steps towards helping politics to be espoused and respected amongst the masses. This project won the Welfare Party a great success during the mayoral elections in 1989, serving as good example for others in terms of studies at the party across the country. On March 27, 1994 the local election were held and Mr. Rajab Tayyab Erdogan was elected as Mayor of Istanbul Metropolitan.
Holding the office of Mayor of Istanbul Rajab Tayyab Erdogan addressed a host of perennial problems of metropolitan. Hundreds of kilometers of new pipeline was laid to solve pure water problem, the garbage problem was also solved by most modern recycling facilities and the problems of air pollution ended with the natural gas projects’ developed during Erdogan,s term in office. Mr. Erdogan managed the erection of more than 50 bridges, passageways, freeways, to solve the traffic problems of metropolitan. To prevent corruption in metropolitan projects Mr. Erdogan resorted to stringent measures against misappropriation of public funds. He manifested zero tolerance on corruption charges during his charge as Mayor of Istanbul metropolitan. He took over two billion dollars debt and till the ending of his charge achieved investments worth 4 billion dollars. In the municipal history Mr. Erdogan developed a breakthrough and his visionary policies and projects earned for him the title of “Versatile Genius Administrator” thus he won the confidence of general public, which proved a landmark in his political aggrandizement in the hearts of people, across the country. On December 12, 1997 while addressing the public in Siirt Rajab Tayyab Erdogan read a poem and on this recitation he was sentenced to imprisonment. After serving four months prison, on the insistence and demand of the public Mr. Erdogan established the Justice and Development Party (AK Party) on August 14-2001. He was elected founding General Chair of the A.K Party, by the council of founders. A.K Party enjoyed broadest public support in the country and made it the sole ruling party with a two-third majority at the TBMM of the parliamentary elections held in 2002. Mr. Erdogan was not candidate for MP during the election on Nov 03, 2002 due to the court’s decision against him. After being disentangled from judicial hindrance, winning 85% votes, taking over the Prime Minister’s office on March 15, 2003 Rajab Tayyab Erdogan implemented a number of reforms of crucial importance which earned popular support for him. After a lawful amendment in parliament Recep Rajab Tayyab Erdogan with the public support, was elected as President on June 12, 2011. He was re-elected on August 10, 2014 as the 12th president of Turkey. Recep Tayyab Erdogan, winning 52.59% of the votes, was again elected President in the Presidential elections, held on June 24, 2018. Due to his reforms in public sector and visionary policies Recep Mr. Erdogan has won the massive support to continue serving the people of Turkey.
The writer is author of English book on politics, columnist, freelance journalist based in Lahore.