Stressing a ‘peaceful and just solution’ to Kashmir dispute, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan on Friday said Turkey will continue to extend unflinching support to the stance of Kashmiri brethren at all forums. “Turkey believes that the Kashmir issue cannot be resolved through oppressive means but on the basis of principles of justice and peace,” the Turkish president said in his address to a joint session of parliament.

This was the fourth time Erdogan has addressed the parliament of Pakistan. Prime Minister Imran Khan, cabinet members, parliamentarians from treasury and opposition benches, services chiefs and ambassadors attended the session.

The 24-minute speech by Tayyip Erdogan also focused on Pakistan and Turkey’s joint roadmap of development and prosperity and need for unity among Islamic countries to fight common challenges including poverty and Islamophobia.

Erdoğan also underlined that the relations between Pakistan and Turkey are based on true brotherhood, solidarity and fraternity, and Pakistan has shown that it is a true friend of Turkey with its stance on Gülenist Terror Group (FETÖ) and support for the anti-terror operations in Syria.

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.

Pakistan has to strive to be a modern inclusive democracy and a welfare state rather than an autocratic entity or a security state. While developing closer relations with Turkey, Pakistan has to maintain friendly ties with its Arab allies. Unless it works hard to strengthen is economic base, it is bound to remain dependent on others.

The Turkish President also reassured support for Pakistan in the next plenary meeting of FATF to help it out of the grey-list 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.