Staff Reporter
Islamabad
President Azad Jammu & Kashmir Sardar Masood Khan, has lauded the Turkish Parliament and Parliamentarians for consistent support for the resolution of the Jammu & Kashmir dispute and expressing serious concern over India government’s illegal and unilateral steps of 5 August 2019 and security lockdown since then. The Turkish Parliament, he said, recognized the humanitarian and human rights dimensions of the Kashmir crisis, a statement received here Friday from Ankara said.
The President made these remarks during his meeting at the Turkish Grand National Assembly with the renowned Turkish Parliamentarian, Ali Sahin, who is Chairman of Pakistan-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Group. He also thanked President Erdogan for raising the Jammu & Kashmir issue with full conviction during his address before the United Nations General Assembly in September this year. ‘The people of Jammu & Kashmir and Pakistan are beholden to the Turkish President and the Turkish nation for speaking up for the rights of the Kashmiris and supporting multi-lateral diplomacy for resolving this issue,’ he said.
Ali Sahin said that Pakistan and Turkey enjoyed strong fraternal bonds and as the Chairman of the Pakistan-Turkey Parliamentary Friendship Association, he would continue to raise the plight of the Kashmiri people at different national and regional forums. The president AJK also thanked Turkey for hosting an international conference on Jammu & Kashmir which was attended by high-level Turkish representatives and attracted expertise from all over the world.
The conference’s deliberations he said, would also guide us in identifying pathways to realization of right-to self-determination of the Kashmiris, conflict resolution and peace. The President reiterated his proposal that Turkey could pursue humanitarian diplomacy vis-à-vis the Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K) and play a constructive role as a facilitator and mediator.
‘Kashmir is the most serious problem the world is facing today. Indian government’s military operations and insatiable zest for the brutalization of the occupied territory is driven by neo-fascist doctrine of Hindutva which threatens not only the Kashmiris but also Pakistan and Muslims in India,’ he said. Later in the day, the President addressed a group of international students studying at various Turkish universities. The event was hosted by Asma Kopru International Student Association. The President, in his remarks said that Islam was a religion of peace and Muslims were suffering today because they were divided.
