Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, while addressing joint session of the Parliament, lent unequivocal support to Pakistan on the core issue of Kashmir by drawing a parallel between the situation in the Indian held Kashmir and the battle of Cankkale that took place between Turkish and Allied forces in the Gallipoli Peninsula of Turkey during the first Word War. The Allied Forces had lost this battle against Turkey, with heavy casualties on both sides. This is a glorious tribute to the freedom struggle of Kashmiri Muslims against the Indian forces.
Ever since the beginning of Kashmiris Intifada, India has been all along selling to international community the narrative of branding it cross border terrorism supported by Pakistan. A number of false flag operations had been done in the shape of so called militants attack on the Lok Saba, 26/11 Mumbai attacks, Patankot Airbase attack and Pulwama attack on Indian forces in February last year. Previous two governments did not build counter narrative and the last Nawaz Sharif government preferred second fiddle role vis-à-vis India on the foreign policy front, giving credence to its false narrative. By launching a proactive and sustained diplomacy, PTI government is effectively countering the India’s narrative by exposing its real face of sponsoring terrorism in Pakistan and perpetrating atrocities on 8 million Kashmiri Muslims. Foreign Office has forewarned the world against another false-flag operation by New Delhi during the forthcoming high profile visits to the region. United Nations Secretary General Anonio Guterres is visiting Islamabad on February and US President Donald Trump is paying his scheduled visit of India from February 24 to 25.
The Turkish President also reassured support for Pakistan in the next plenary meeting of FATF to help it out of the greylist of this international watchdog on money laundering and terrorism financing. It merits mention that Pakistan had been grey-listed when FATF Plenary session adopted a US sponsored resolution in meeting in Paris in June, 2018. Turkey alone had opposed that resolution whereas China and Saudi Arabia abstained. This time the conviction of Jammat-u Dawa Chief Hafiz Saeed by Antiterrorist Court may be instrumental in changing the diplomatic scenario in favour of Pakistan if legal and institutional frameworks for curbing money laundering and terrorism financing are further strengthened.
