Turkish govt, political parties pledge support for Kashmir cause

The government of Turkiye and political parties pledged to support the ongoing liberation movement in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).

This was said by the joint delegation of the Azad government of the State of Jammu and Kashmir and All Parties Hurriyat Conference (APHC) led by Speaker of Legislative Assembly  Latif Akbar during a press conference who recently visited Türkiye. 

Speaker Akbar said that the Turkish parliament speaker received them warmly in the Ankara parliament to express solidarity with the people of IIOJK.

Former AJK Ameer Jamaat-e-Islami Abdur Rashid Turabi said that following the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation OIC Turkiye has a key role in the Muslim world and they support Kashmiris' right to self-determination at various international forums which has continued since 1990.

India tries to put pressure on Turkiye to keep Ankara away from supporting the Kashmir cause.

“We attended various conferences in Istanbul and Ankara in connection with the Kashmir dispute and urged Turkish leaders to expand their parliamentary role and in this connection, they were asked to use their European Union links for the peaceful settlement of IIOJK. Kashmir relief fund will also be established in Turkiye. We also briefed lawmakers and media about the existing threats of IIOJK leadership and the issues faced by Indian Muslims,” Turabi observed.  

Convenor APHC Mehmood Sagar said that the main purpose of the conference in Istanbul was to engage Arab countries' lawyers and human rights activists and in this connection first time the Kuwait delegation joined us and supported Kashmiris' legitimate peaceful struggle during the Istanbul conference. However,  we asked both Turkish and Kuwaiti brothers that we need their support for Kashmir cause the same they support the Palestine cause.. 

The APHC Convenor Mehmood Ahmad Sagar said that they have seen Ankara commitment more serious than Islamabad's with Kashmiris. He said Pakistan needs to introduce Kashmir desks in foreign embassies and make Muzaffarabad a real base camp to promote Kashmir freedom struggle.

All leaders from Shabir Shah to Yaseen Malik are in prison and Pakistan should support the IIOJK movement vehemently. The world should know that a plebiscite is the demand of all communities of IIOJK whether they are Hindus, Muslims or Pundits.

Senior APHC leader Altaf Ahmed Bhat said that Türkiye has much more commitment to Kashmiri’s political struggle and they will never disappoint us. They believe that Kashmiris ought to be given right of self-determination. 

“India is working to cancel some 160 Kashmiris citizenship  and if New Delhi does it then AJK government should give them citizenship which would be a slap on the face of India,” Bhat added and said the lawmakers of Turkiye have much more knowledge on Kashmir issue than our own leaders.
Turkey offered us to open offices in any area of their country for the promotion of Kashmir cause. 

The senior APHC leader Bhat further said that the Jammu and Kashmir Liberation Cell KLC should be utilised to finance the ongoing liberation struggle of IIOJK across the globe. All funds for Kashmir freedom struggle must be sent through KLC accounts.