Pakistan thanks Turkey for steadfast support

KARACHI – Anadolu Agency

Shah Mehmood Qureshi

Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Feb. 22 thanked his Turkish counterpart Mevlüt Çavuşoğlu for Ankara's steadfast support to Islamabad on a range of issues.

In a phone call to brief the Turkish side on a deadly car bombing in Jammu and Kashmir earlier this month, Qureshi said Pakistan had asked India to share any actionable information it had to help in the investigation.

An explosive-laden vehicle rammed into a paramilitary bus along the Jammu-Kashmir highway on Feb. 14 killing 40 Indian troops.

Jaish-e-Mohammad, a militant group, claimed responsibility for the worst attack in decades in the insurgency hit region.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack, a charge Islamabad denied.

“Qureshi appreciated Turkey's understanding of Pakistan's position on different issues and its continued support. He shared that excellent relations between the two brotherly countries had been further reinforced after Prime Minister Imran Khan's visit to Turkey in January,” said a statement from the Foreign Ministry.

The Turkish top diplomat expressed understanding of Pakistan's position and rejected the accusations, the statement added.

Çavuşoğlu urged both sides to resolve the conflict in Jammu and Kashmir through dialogue.

He added that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan will visit Pakistan after the March 31 local elections in Turkey.

Jammu and Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.