In a letter, Members of European Parliament have urged President Ashraf Ghani to stop political pressures against the CAG Educational NGO and its staff in Afghanistan, Sediqullah Tawhidi, member of Parents’ Committee of Afghan-Turk Schools said on Monday.

“We have sadly learnt that the raids have taken place following a political decision to declare Cag Educational NGO as illegal due to political pressure from Turkey. We believe Afghanistan shall not play around handling over schools from a group to another risking loss of two decades long educational success just as a result of pressure from a third country,” Mr. Tawhidi read the letter.

In February Afghanistan’s Ministry of Education (MoE) formally handed over the management of Afghan-Turk schools to the Turkish government, defying calls by parents and students to keep the schools under Afghan control.

Following a failed military coup in 2016, the Turkish government formally asked Afghanistan to hand over control of these schools to the Turkish government.

Turkey claims that these schools are run by Turkish cleric Muhammed Fethullah Gülen who is currently in exile in the United States.

Turkey blamed Gülen for orchestrating the failed military takeover in 2016. However, former officials from the Afghan-Turk schools have said the schools had nothing to do with politics and they only provide education to Afghan children.

Meanwhile, Ahmad Fawad Haidari, caretaker of Afghan-Turk Schools said that they will open caseS in the international courts if the Afghan government ignore to respond to their demands.

Members of Parents’ Committee of Afghan-Turk Schools also call on the government  to return these schools to Cag Educational NGO.

“This government is a puppet of foreigners and doesn’t care about the sons of this country,” said Abdul Shakoor Dadras, a member of Afghan-Turk Parents’ Committee.

“We are calling on the government not to play with the future of our children,” said Yousuf Pashtoon, another member of Afghan-Turk Parents’ Committee.

But the Afghan Ministry of Education rejects report of political deals regarding the CAG Educational NGO.