ANKARA, 23 November 2019: Sardar Masood Khan, President Azad
Jammu & Kashmir (AJK), has said that the people of Jammu & Kashmir and
Pakistan will never forget Turkey’s strongest expression of solidarity and its
principled stance after India’s illegal steps of 5 August 2019 in the Indian
Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K).
“The people of Jammu & Kashmir will always remember the
strong and unequivocal support of the
Turkish government and people for their just struggle in their darkest hour”, he said adding that as, in
a similar manner, the Turkish nation remembers the support extended by
the Muslims of South Asia to their Turkish brethren during their War of
Independence,” he said.
President Masood Khan conveyed
these sentiments to Mr. Cevdet
Yilmaz, Vice Chairman of the ruling
Justice and Development Party (AKP) and Chairman for Foreign Affairs, who received the AJK
President at the AK Party headquarters in Ankara and had a detailed meeting
with him.
Pakistan’s Ambassador to Turkey Mr. Muhammad Sajjad Syrus Sajjad Qazi also attended
the meeting.
President Masood Khan apprised Mr. Cevdet Yilmaz of the
prevailing grave human rights and humanitarian situation in the IOJ&K,
expressing deep concern at the continuing blockade imposed by the Indian
occupation forces against millions of Kashmiris that has now entered into its
110th consecutive day. He said that the rising tide of right-wing
extremism in India in the form of Hindutva ideology was a serious threat to the
regional and international peace and security.
The President said that “situation was deteriorating by the
day with increased detentions, torture and forced disappearances especially of
young boys”. He added that India was trying a false impression to the world
that the situation was returning to “normal”. He asked how could the situation
be normal after occupation of a disputed territory, disenfranchisement of its
people and continuing colonisation. This, he said, was a coloniser’s and an
occupier’s logic of “normalcy”.
Mr. Cevdet Yilmaz said that Pakistan and Turkey enjoyed
historic ties, and both nations had always stood by one another in the face of
all challenges and threats. Reiterating
Turkey’s principled position on the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, Mr. Yilmaz
expressed Turkey’s lasting commitment to peace and security in South Asia as
well as towards upholding the principles of truth and justice in the
international system.
Mr. Yilmaz said that Turkey also had special ties with Jammu
and Kashmir. Referring to the statement by President Erdogan at the UN General
Assembly, he said that Turkey wanted the Jammu and Kashmir issue to be resolved peacefully through dialogue in
accordance with the wishes of the Kashmiri people, and not through collision
and confrontation.
President AJK said that the people of Jammu and Kashmir
and
Pakistan too preferred
a peaceful and diplomatic resolution of the
Kashmir dispute. However, diplomacy could not take place in vacuum, he said, as
India was unwilling to engage bilaterally nor multi-laterally. He added that
Pakistan supported all international mediation efforts for the resolution of
the Jammu & Kashmir dispute, and welcomed Turkey’s role in this regard,
including its humanitarian diplomacy initiatives. He also urged decisive and
robust action by the members of the UN Security Council to help end the ongoing
Indian atrocities in IOJ&K as well as to implement its relevant resolutions
that guarantee Kashmiris their inalienable right to self-determination. In this
endeavour, Turkey could play the role of a “facilitator and mediator”, he said.
The AJK President invited Mr. Yilmaz and other leaders to the
AK Party to visit Azad Kashmir.
Earlier in the day, President Masood Khan visited the Social
Sciences University of Ankara and held a meeting with the Rector of the
university, Prof. Dr. Mehmet Barca. During the meeting, numerous ideas for
enhancing cooperation and collaboration between the public sector universities
in AJK and Ankara Social Sciences University came under discussion. The
proposal for the establishment of a research center aimed at the resolution of
the Jammu & Kashmir dispute was also explored.
The Rector of Ankara
Social Sciences university accepted the President’s invitation to visit AJK in order to explore new avenues
for cooperation in the area of higher education.
President Masood Khan also visited the Mausoleum of Gazi
Mustafa Kemal Ataturk and paid rich tributes to the great leader and founding
father of the Turkish Republic. The President and his delegation were also
given a guided tour of the mausoleum during which they witnessed various
different phases of Turkey’s War of Independence against occupation forces
under the dynamic leadership of Ghazi Mustafa Kemal Ataturk.
Giving his impressions after the visit, President Masood Khan said that
Turkey’s glorious struggle against the forces of colonization and occupation
was indeed an inspiration for freedom-loving people across the world, in
particular the people of Jammu & Kashmir. He said that with their indomitable spirit and
determination, the people of Jammu and Kashmir
would one day also free themselves from the shackles of Indian
colonialism and occupation.
Speaking on the occasion, Foreign Minister Qureshi
said that neither any nation could claim to have stronger and more historic bonds
with Afghanistan nor any country was more desirous of peace, stability and
prosperity in Afghanistan than Pakistan. He added that Pakistan continued to
host over 3 million Afghan refugees for the last four decades, and had been playing
a critical role for the development and reconstruction of Afghanistan, including
by committing over US$ 1 billion in development assistance. He highlighted the
importance of the Afghanistan-Pakistan Action Plan for Peace and Solidarity
(APAPPS) as an important institutional framework in strengthening bilateral relations
between the two sides. 
The Foreign Minister also called on H.E. President
Recep Tayyip Erdogan on the side-lines of the meeting. Reiterating the historic
and fraternal relations between the two countries, Foreign Minister Qureshi
conveyed the warmest and sincerest wishes for the people and the Government of
Turkey on behalf of the people and the Government of Pakistan on the occasion. 
