ISLAMABAD: Pakistani schoolchildren have thanked Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan supporting Rohingya Muslims in Myanmar. Since Aug. 25, 2017, some 650,000 refugees, mostly children and women, had fled Myanmar when Myanmar forces launched a crackdown on the minority Muslim community, according to the United Nations. The students voiced their appreciation of the president in over 100 letters received by the Turkish Embassy in Islamabad. All the letters from the students aged 5 to 12 from the Lahore New Cantt Public School System, were addressed to the president, and have been painted by little students with different colours and words of affection. “Mr President; thank you for your kindness, you are my hero and ‘I love you’ as you helped a lot to the Burma Muslims,” Asif Haider, a student of K-G class wrote in his letter. “I just want to express my heartfelt gratitude and say thank you for doing the help in Burma, you did a good job, your effort and hard work is truly appreciated and we are thankful to you,” Arham Ali, student of grade-7 wrote in his letter. He added: “Thank you, is just a word but it means a lot, and I will also say thank you Turkey.” Another student Rabia Amber wrote: “We all appreciate your service to Muslims. You do such a great job in Burma for Muslims thank you.” The students painted all the letters with the heading: “Mr. President Tayyip Erdogan, we love you and you are our hero.” The newly appointed Turkish ambassador to Pakistan, Mustafa Yurdakul, thanked the schoolchildren for their letters to the Turkish president and vowed that his country would continue to support Rohingya Muslims. “Receiving these meaningful letters from our Pakistani brothers and sisters made us very happy and proud. Turkey will continue to support Rohingya Muslims and people suffering all over the world on the basis of its humanitarian diplomacy,” Mustafa Yurdakul said in his statement. Published in Daily Times, January 21st 2018.