Turkey offers to mediate between Pakistan, India

Pakistan has a special place in our hearts, says Turkish president

Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has offered cooperation and mediation to help reduce tension between nuclear-armed Pakistan and India, Radio Pakistan reported.

Addressing the nation, the Turkish president said he also spoke with Prime Minister Imran Khan regarding the prevailing tensions between the two South Asian neighbors.

"Pakistan has a special place our hearts," the Turkish president said, adding that "our Pakistani brothers always stood by us in difficult times".

On Sunday, British Prime Minister Theresa May appreciated Prime Minister Imran Khan’s decision of releasing the Indian pilot, a move widely appreciated by the international community.

She welcomed the peace overtures by the prime minister amid heightened tensions between Pakistan and India, said a statement issued by the PM Office.

The premier apprised May of Pakistan’s perspective on the developments since the Pulwama incident, in which nearly four dozen Indian soldiers were killed when a young Kashmiri drove a vehicle full of explosives into a military convoy in the Indian Occupied Kashmir district on February 14.



Emir of Qatar Tamim bin Hamad Al Thani called on PM Imran Khan and lauded Pakistan’s ‘goodwill gesture’ of releasing Indian captured pilot amid the ongoing crisis between nuclear-armed neighbours.



 

In a tweet by the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Foreign Office (FO) spokesperson Dr Mohammad Faisal stated that the Qatari leader “underscored the importance of de-escalation”.

The two leaders spoke on the phone and Thani offered facilitation in regards to the ongoing conflict between the arch-rivals.