Pakistan backs Turkey’s fight against Da’ish

Air chief Mujahid Anwar praises Ankara’s role in Azerbaijan victory over Armenia

ANKARA:

Chief of Air Staff (CAS) Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan has said that Pakistan stands by Turkey in its fight against terrorism, stressing the need for mutual collaboration and cooperation to overcome this challenge.

In an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency, the CAS, who is currently in Turkey, restated Islamabad’s support for Ankara on Cyprus and other regional issues. He said that Pakistan and Turkey enjoy “a unique and enviable” relationship.

“We know Da’ish. They are a clear and present danger,” he said, recognising the security challenges Turkey faces on its borders. Pakistan also has similar challenges on its borders, he added. “We need to have mutual collaboration, and cooperation, to overcome these challenges.”

Khan said that Pakistan and Turkey also have a common vision which is to maintain regional stability, peace, and prosperity. He said this vision manifests itself with Turkey’s support to Azerbaijan in its fight to liberate its lands from Armenia’s nearly three decades long occupation.

Touching Turkey’s role in Azerbaijan’s victory over Armenia, he said the country’s armed drones were the key in the liberation of lands. “I think it was one of the catalysts, UAVs [unmanned aerial vehicle] played its role in securing the liberation of the occupied territories.”

Defence cooperation

The air chief emphasised that the military cooperation between Pakistan adn Turkey should be built on economic cooperation, and said that joint projects, exercises, production, training, and technology sharing were the leading areas of the bilateral cooperation.

“I appreciate the ever-increasing relationship between Pakistan and the Turkish defence industry,” he said. Likewise, he added, Pakistan also achieved significant progress in the defence industry. “We need to further strengthen our defence cooperation, both countries could learn from each other.”

Kashmir issue

As the world is shifting from unipolarity to multipolarity, it brings new challenges, Air Chief Marshal Mujahid Anwar Khan noted. “Unfortunately, economic interests are being preferred globally over the moral and ethical values of humanity,” he said, citing examples of Palestine, Kashmir and Azerbaijan.

He thanked the Turkish president, foreign minister, and parliament speaker for “their supportive statements on the Kashmir issue at various international forums as the unresolved issue is still a challenge for the global community.”

On India’s air attack on Pakistan in February 2019, Khan called the incident “a grave mistake” and said that the misadventure was a politically motivated move by Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi, who wanted to win the elections.

He said India did not respect the territorial integrity of a neighbourly country, and it was “an act of war”. “Pakistan had to respond and our response was very loud and clear,” he stressed, adding that India needed to learn from the incident.

Regional dynamics

Noting his country’s good relationship with China, Khan said both the countries support each other in many fields from politics to military. “China-Pakistan Economic Corridor (CPEC) is a project of economics, trade. It will bring peace, prosperity, and stability in the region,” he added.

Touching on the developments in Afghanistan, Khan noted that Pakistan supports the peace process in Afghanistan that will bring an end to the lingering war in the country. He said that the peace process will bring positive results despite all the challenges.

“A stable Afghanistan is an interest for Pakistan,” he said. Highlighting Indian proxies in Afghanistan, Khan pointed out they are trying to destabilise the country, and that “Indian proxies are behind all sporadic terrorist activities.”