NEW DELHI, Feb 15 (DNA): After the Turkish president’s visit to Pakistan

led to Recep Tayyip Erdogan reiterating his opposition to India’s steps

in Kashmir, New Delhi on Saturday stated that Turkey should “develop

proper understanding of the facts” and stop interfering in internal

affairs of other countries.

In a statement issued on Saturday morning, the spokesperson of the

Indian Ministry of External Affairs, Raveesh Kumar dismissed the remarks

on Kashmir made during the visit of the Turkish president to Islamabad.

“India rejects all references to Jammu and Kashmir, which is an integral

and inalienable part of India. We call upon the Turkish leadership to

not interfere in India’s internal affairs and develop proper

understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by

terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region,” the External

Affairs Ministry’s spokesman was quoted by Indian media as saying.

“We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India’s

internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts,

including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to

India and the region,” Raveesh Kumar said.

The Indian external affairs ministry claimed that the Jammu and Kashmir

is an ‘integral and inalienable part’ of New Delhi.

It called upon the Turkish president to develop proper understanding of

the facts including the ‘grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from

Pakistan to India and the region’.

The Indian external affairs ministry dismissed the Erdogan’s references

he made during his recent visit to Pakistan.

“This is not the first time that the Turkish president has commented on

Kashmir – followed by a response from India,” the statement said.

During Erdogan’s visit to Islamabad, a joint declaration of the

Pakistan-Turkey high-level strategic cooperation council made a specific

reference to Kashmir.

“The two sides underscored need for resolution of all outstanding

disputes between Pakistan and India, including the core issue of Jammu

and Kashmir through a sustained dialogue process and in accordance with

the relevant UN Security Council resolutions. In this regard, Pakistan

expresses its deep appreciation for Turkey’s principled stance on the

issue as well as its offer for mediation,” it stated.

In his speech to the joint sitting of the Pakistani parliament, Erdogan

had asserted that sufferings of Kashmiris had been aggravated by India’s

steps taken in recent months, referring to the removal of constitutional

autonomy and restrictions on communications. “This approach, which

aggravates the current situation and revokes the freedom and … rights of

the Kashmiri people, does not bring any benefit to anyone,” said the

Turkish president.

He also announced that Turkey would support Pakistan at the Financial

Action Task Force (FATF) to help it avoid further strictures on terror

financing. The plenary meeting of the money laundering watchdog FATF

will be held soon which will decide if Pakistan has overseen enough

reforms to avoid being ‘blacklisted’.

“We will continue to stand by Pakistan in the future, as we did in the

past. In this context, I would like to emphasise that we will support

Pakistan that may face political pressure at the Financial Action Task

Force (FATF) meetings which is a current issue. The brotherhood law in

Islam requires sharing agitations and being involved in them besides

supporting the fellow believers. Short-term interests, daily reckonings

cannot hinder our everlasting and eternal brotherhood,” he said.

He asserted that Turkey “endeavours to eliminate the differences between

the Ummah, to find a solution to the disputes and to claim our righteous

causes, especially Palestine, Cyprus and Kashmir”. DNA

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