OBSERVER REPORT KARACHI Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments on occupied Kashmir, wherein he compared the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of the fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I, have left India flustered. Erdogan, while addressing a joint session of the Pakistani parliament for a record fourth time, had pledged to continue his unflinching support for Islamabad’s stance on Kashmir, comparing it to Turkey’s own historic 1915 Gallipoli campaign and going as far as saying that the plight of the people of the Indian-occupied territory meant as much to his country as it did to Pakistan on Friday. Reacting to the statement, India’s External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Raveesh Kumar on Saturday rejected all references made by the Turkish president on Jammu and Kashmir, asking him to desist from interfering in India’s ‘internal affairs’, Indian media reported. Harping on Delhi’s terror mantra, Kumar said the occupied valley is “integral and inalienable part of the country”. “We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India’s internal affairs and develop a proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region,” he was quoted as saying. The EAM spokesperson was responding to a question on Erdogan’s comments on Kashmir as well as its reference in a joint declaration by Turkey and Pakistan. Erdogan said Kashmiri people have suffered for decades and their sufferings increased following the unilateral steps taken by the Modi administration in the recent past, referring to New Delhi revoking the special status of the disputed territory last year.
