Dr Arshi Khan Visits Mass Grave Sites of Turkish Cypriots
By Pervez Bari

Bhopal, November 14 Dr Arshi Khan from Aligarh Muslim University, who is on a visit of Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus (Kuzey Kibris Turkiye Cumhurieyti) on  the invitation of the Government to attend its Foundation Day, was taken along with journalists from over a dozen countries to be shown the sites of the mass graves of Turkish Cypriots particularly children, mothers and old age people, at Murtaða, Atlilar and Sandallar in Northern Cyprus.

It may be recalled here that altogether 126 people were killed in August 1974 when the military coup led by Nicos Sampson overthrew Archbishop Makarios and started eliminating Turkish Cypriots. It was in this year after the failure of any peace attempt to save Turkish Cypriots that Turkey as a Guarantor Power under the 1960 Agreement sent its army to the island of Cyprus.

Dr Arshi, who is Reader in the Department of Political Science at AMU in Aligarh, informed this correspondent through e-mail that he also met 61-year old man Kaðan Kamil Meriç who received the delegates at the mass grave museum site. Meric lost his wife and five children in the carnage. They are buried in Atlilar. He also saw the news clippings of The London Times, Washington Post, Voice of Germany and United Press International which depicted the grim picture of Turkish predicament.

It may be mentioned here that many persons were killed in several villages such as Limassol, Larnaca, Famagusta and Paphos.

According to Dr Arshi, journalists were later taken to the largest Eastern Mediterranean University (EMU) where its Vice Chancellor introduced the quality works of the university. In EMU there are students from 36 countries and the teaching faculty has been drawn from 60 countries. There are also some Indian students and teachers in the EMU.

The EMU has seven faculties and two schools with 30,500 students. The EMU is presently working with 16 universities in European Union members-states. The EMU is competing with the European Standards by following the Bologna process.

Meanwhile, at the lunch table Dr Ahmet Sozen, Director of the Cyprus Policy Centre, informed the delegates that a new situation is developing on this divided island where two parties are again engaged in peace negotiations. However, he mentioned that delay is being caused by the technical committee system which has pushed us back to zero point where they have to take up the negotiation, Dr. Arshi stated.

It was in the year 2004 when Turkish Cypriots showed their courage to vote for the unification of the divided island but their efforts were defeated by the negative vote of Greek Cypriots. (pervezbari@eth.net)