Pakistan's state-run television is set to broadcast the globally-acclaimed Turkish TV series "Resurrection: Ertuğrul", dubbed in the national language after a special request by Prime Minister Imran Khan.
The Pakistan Television Corporation (PTV) has already started to cast Urdu voice-over artists after obtaining the broadcast rights of the drama from the Turkish Radio and Television Corporation (TRT), Arab News reported, citing a source from the state broadcaster on Tuesday.
Many TV channels in Pakistan broadcast Turkish drama series and movies, especially the Urdu 1 channel, which airs four Turkish serials a day dubbed in Urdu.
Pakistan's Imran Khan previously called on the youth to watch the Turkish drama to promote Islamic values.
Often called the Turkish “Game of Thrones” by fans, Resurrection: Ertuğrul, tells the story of the period prior to the establishment of the Ottoman Empire around the life of Ertuğrul Gazi, the father of the empire's first leader in 13th century Anatolia.
“We have taken this initiative as the prime minister wants to preserve our social, cultural and religious norms,” said Dr. Firdous Ashiq Awan, special assistant to the prime minister on information and broadcasting.
“The Muslim world has its own cultural heritage and values, but we are looking into western ones,” she added.
Hundreds of fans flooded social media with comments after the announcement.
"That will be great. I always wanted to be dubbed in Urdu and telecasted on PTV," one social media user posted on Twitter.
"Great step taken by PM. Our kids should know our Muslim history... it's the best series in the world," anorher fans said.
In September, Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia agreed to launch a TV channel dedicated to confronting the challenges posed by Islamophobia.
The center of the intended TV channel project will likely take place in Istanbul, according to reports.
Turkey is one of the top five series-exporting countries in the world, enthralling audiences from Latin America to Central Asia.
Dozens of Turkish series are being followed by more than 500 million viewers in over 150 countries, according to Turkey's Culture Ministry.
