ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: A Turkish delegation consisting of intellectuals and media representatives held a meeting with President Dr Arif Alvi at Aiwan-e-Sadr in Islamabad on Friday, the Dispatch News Desk (DND) news agency reported.
During the meeting, the president expressed gratitude to the delegation for visiting Pakistan, and also apprised them about the latest situation in Indian Occupied Jammu & Kashmir (IOJ&K).
The president said that the belligerent Indian leadership, with its thumb on nuclear button, is doggedly hinduizing India and persecuting minorities and has, therefore, become a threat not only to the regional and world peace but also to the very social fabric of India itself.
Dr Arif Alvi said that the world cannot expect the butcher of Gujarat to respect the fundamental rights of the Kashmiri people. He underscored that what India was doing in the Occupied Jammu and Kashmir was analogous to Israeli brutalities in Palestine. The Will of the people cannot be suppressed by power, he emphasized, and India too shall fail in suffocating Kashmiri freedom struggle, as it has for the last seven decades.
While replying to a question, the president said that Pakistan aspired for peace but if war was imposed on us, we would retaliate with full might.
President Arif Alvi said that the Hindutva-fanatics of Modi regime were transforming the secular outlook of India and what was happening in Kashmir was only an extension of what was happening in the rest of the India. He said that today the minorities of India lived in constant fear of persecution. The extremist and fascist policies of current Indian regime were the same as those of Hitler and Mussolini, he added. He underscored that over eight million Kashmiris, already in the clutches of decades-long Indian oppression, had been virtually caged, for the last six weeks, by an illegal military occupation that had swelled in ranks.
The president highlighted that India’s unilateral action of August 5, 2019 of altering the status of Occupied Jammu & Kashmir, recognized as a disputed territory by the UN Security Council, was illegal under international law. He stressed that the international community must play its part to persuade India to restore the civic rights and liberties of Kashmiri people.
Talking about Pakistan-Turkey bilateral ties, the president said that both the Countries enjoy close and cordial fraternal relations, based on a shared faith, cultural and civilizational linkages, people-to-people contacts and commonality of interests. He said that bilateral ties and strategic cooperation would be further strengthened to the mutual benefit of the people of our two countries in the years ahead.
While appreciating the admirable role of Turkish media in highlighting illegality of Indian actions, the president hoped that it would continue its efforts to raise voice for the oppressed people of Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir. He said that Pakistan was thankful to the people and the government of Turkey for its constant support on Kashmir issue and added that Pakistan would continue to support the Turkish government and its people on issues of Turkish interest.
The 22-member Turkish delegation – headed by Dr Halil Tokar, Professor at Urdu Department, Istanbul University – is in Pakistan on a seven-day visit.
Other members of the delegation included Professor Dr Muhammet Savas Kafkasyali, President, SDE; Mr. Gokhan Goce, Head of Planning, TRT World; Mr. Cemal Demir, President, GASAM; Ms. Merve Sebnem Oruc, Daily Sabah / Superhaber TV; Mr. Ogun Duru, Foreign News Editor, Anadolu Agency; Ms. Deniz Kilislioglue, Senior Correspondent, NTV; Mr. Sinan Tavukcu, Vice President, SDE; Ms. Ismihan Yilmaz, Investigative Department, TRT World; Mr. Atif Ozbey, Coordinator, Kanal 5; Mr. Ismail Eray Celebi, Ankara Representatives, Ulusal Kanal; Ms. Sevil Erkus, Diplomatic Correspondent, Hurriyet Daily News / Hurriyet; Mr. Ridvan Tezel, Ankara News Editor, Milliyet; Ms. Iklim Ongel, Ankara News Editor Cumhuriyet; Mr. Yasir Emre, Group Leader, Special News, TurkMedya Dijital; Mr. Burak Erdem Celik, Diplomatic Correspondent, Sabah; Mr. Yahya Kurtkaya, Correspondent, TRT Haber; Mr. Muhammed Vefa Ozalp, Correspondent, Milli Gazette / TV 5; Riza Yasar, Anchorperson, On 4 TV; Mr. Mehmet Sakir Sarac, Correspondent, Yeni Safak; and Mr. Aykut Olgun, Cameraman, TRT Haber.
The Turkish journalists also visited the Inter Services Public Relations (ISPR) in Rawalpindi on September 16 wherein it was briefed about Pakistan-India February standoff, situation along the Line of Control (LoC)/ Working Boundary and human rights violations in under siege IOJ&K including implications for regional peace.
The delegation also visited Muzaffarabad on September 17 and Chokthi on September 18, and interacted with locals and civilian victims of Indian ceasefire violations.
