PRIME Minister Shehbaz Sharif thanked President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan on Sunday for his resolute support to Pakistan in the recent Pakistan-India standoff which resulted in Pakistan’s overwhelming victory.
The PM, accompanied by Chief of Army Staff, Field Marshal Syed Asim Munir, expressed heartfelt gratitude to the government and people of Turkiye for their unwavering support to Pakistan during the recent developments in South Asia.
He praised Turkiye’s principled stance and the outpouring of goodwill from the Turkish people, calling it a source of great strength and comfort for Pakistan.
It is a matter of satisfaction and source of inspiration that almost the entire civilized world openly or tacitly sup-ported Pakistan’s viewpoint and its right to self-defence during the recent conflict with India, which is reflective of the success of the country on the diplomatic front as well.
People of Pakistan will never forget that at a time when a power-drunk neighbour tried to trample the country’s security and sovereignty, some allies stood like a rock with Pakistan and these included, among others, China, Turkiye and Azerbaijan.
The Prime Minister has done well by deciding to pay a visit to Turkiye, Azerbaijan and Iran to thank their leadership for expressing complete solidarity with Pakistan during testing times.
Turkiye always stood with Pakistan even at the cost of incurring economic losses for its principled-based support to the cause of Pakistan.
Its support for the just cause of Kashmiri people has been without ifs and buts and in the latest crisis the sympathies of people of Turkiye under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan were clearly with Pakistan and it was in this backdrop that Indians are cancelling their tourism trips to Turkiye and at the instance of the Indian Government, many Indian companies are boycotting Turkish products and imports.
It may also be pointed out that the Civil Avia-tion Authority of India has cancelled the security clearance of the Turkish-based aviation ground handling firm Celebi.
President Erdoğan had expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India conducted military attacks across nine sites in Pakistan and Azad Kashmir and his country warned of a risk of an all-out war between the nuclear-armed neighbours calling on both sides to show good sense to reduce the tensions, while expressing support for Islamabad’s request for an international inquiry into the Pahalgam attack.
India reacted in a similar manner when President Erdoğan expressed unequivocal support for resolution of the Kashmir conflict as per UN resolutions.
However, India miserably failed in the past to pressurize Turkiye and there is no reason Ankara will abandon its principled approach to the issues facing Muslim Ummah and its solidarity with Pakistan.
It is encouraging that during talks of the Prime Minister with the Turkish President; the two leaders conducted a comprehensive re-view of bilateral relations and reiterated their resolve to elevate the strategic partnership to new heights.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif underscored the potential for joint ventures and increased bilateral investment.
He identified key sectors such as renewable energy, information technology, defence production, infrastructure development and agriculture as areas of mutual interest and opportunity.
There was reciprocity from the Turkish side as the two sides reaffirmed their principled support for each other’s core concerns, including the Jammu and Kashmir dispute.
As for China, the Pakistan-India conflict proved the effectiveness of strategic partnership between Beijing and Islamabad, strengthening the resolve of the leadership and people of the two countries to take this relationship to new heights including the defence aspect.
Victor Zhikai Gao, a prominent Chinese foreign policy expert and Vice President of the Centre for China and Globalization, described the conflict as a powerful demonstration of the depth of China-Pakistan military ties and a clear reflection of Chinas rising defence superiority on the global stage.
He went on to say that the China-Pakistan relationship is no longer limited to ideological or diplomatic lines but has transformed into a fully operational alliance.
China will never allow any country to violate Pakistan’s borders or sovereignty, Gao affirmed and this is a clear message for all.
