Following Pakistan’s steps, Turkey takes anti-India stand on J&K

Turkey has went on and made its anti-India stand clear after the media there began the use of new terminology for Jammu and Kashmir from August 5, based on Pakistani lines. The country has now started using the term “Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK)”–a term that was propped up by Pakistan.

On August 4 this year, just a day before the first anniversary of the abrogation of articles 370 and 35-A from India’s Jammu and Kashmir, Pakistan asked its people to start using the term.

Previously, the Turkish media was using the term India Occupied Kashmir (IOK) for Jammu and Kashmir and later, under Pakistani pressure, it began to use the terms of India Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IOJK) and Azad Kashmir. This step was opposed by India and they lodged their opposition with the Turkish national news agency Anadolu Agency.

Consequently, the agency began to use the internationally accepted terms of India administered Kashmir and Pakistan administered Kashmir.

However, Pakistan reached out to its friend and convinced it to use the names of both the sides of Jammu and Kashmir as per Pakistan’s nomenclatures. As a result, Turkey’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs instructed the Anadolu Agency to take a U-turn and start using the terms–IOJK and Azad Kashmir.

“When other Islamic countries refrained from commenting on the issue of abrogation, Turkey came out openly to support Pakistan and oppose India’s move and continues to trouble India on it. It indicates that the division between Islamic countries is further widening up, with most of the countries supporting India’s stand that Jammu and Kashmir is a bilateral issue between India and Pakistan and other international players should refrain from interfering in it,” said Indian Security officer deployed in the Center Security establishment.

The use of new terminology on Jammu and Kashmir in consonance with Pakistan is definitely one of those rewards by Turkey to Pakistan in return for latter’s support to Erdogan’s aspirations of becoming the ‘Caliph’ of Muslim Ummah and help to Turkey for creating an alternative organization to the Organization of Islamic Countries (OIC).

Resorting to Pakistani terminologies and abstaining to use internationally accepted terms is a blot on Turkish diplomacy, besides being a direct attack on India’s sovereignty.

It is also a move of clear messaging to communicate that Turkey has rallied its unconditional support to Pakistan and shall continue to take anti-India steps.