Staff Report
A 22-member Turkish delegation comprising intellectuals and media personnel left Pakistan on the successful completion of their eight-day visit during which they met senior political and military leadership and also visited Azad Jammu and Kashmir and the Line of Control (LoC).
During their stay, the delegation, headed by Professor at Istanbul University Urdu Department Dr Halil Toker, visited the Chakothi sector to obtain first-hand information about losses caused by ceasefire violations by the Indian troops from across the Line of Control (LoC). The delegation interacted with the victims of ceasefire violations and was told that the shelling had been causing the villagers both physical and material losses without any respite. On their way back, the delegation visited the Central Press Club Muzaffarabad where they further gathered information from the local journalists on the situation, in addition to sharing their own observations.
In separate meetings with the Turkish delegation at Kashmir House, Azad Jammu and Kashmir President Sardar Masood Khan and Prime Minister Raja Farooq Haider decried what they called the major countries’ silence on the ongoing Indian massive human rights abuses of people in Held Kashmir and called for timely intervention to avert catastrophe in the region. They apprised the visitors of how grim the situation was in the occupied valley, particularly following Indian draconian steps of August 5.
