Turkiye's Erdogan hailed for raising voice for oppressed Muslims

ISLAMABAD

The Jamaat-e-Islami (JI), Pakistan's main religiopolitical party, on Tuesday praised Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan for raising voice for oppressed Muslims around the world.

During a meeting with Ali Erbas, the head of Diyanet, Turkiye's Religious Affairs Directorate, in Islamabad, the JI delegation led by its deputy chief Mian Muhammad Aslam, said Pakistan and Turkiye have strong links based on Islamic brotherhood.

The delegation, which included JI's Foreign Affairs director Asif Luqman Qazi, Abdul Rasheed Turabi, and Nasrullah Randhawa, welcomed Erbas and said Pakistan-Turkiye relations are deep-rooted.

"In our hearts, we have feelings of love and respect for our Turkish brothers and sisters," Qazi said, adding: "I thank the Turkish government's clear position and support for the oppressed Muslims of Kashmir and Palestine."

He hailed Ankara for clarifying the stance of Muslims on Islamophobia and sanctity of Prophet Muhammad to the West.

Briefing Erbas on the current situation in Indian-administered Kashmir, Turabi, the former chief of JI in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, alleged that New Delhi has adopted a new policy aimed at bringing demographic changes to the Muslim-majority regions and resettling Hindus from other parts of India.

"In Kashmir, India has adopted the methods used by Israel in Palestine," Turabi said, referring to Tel Aviv's annexation of Arab lands in the West Bank.

Erbas said Pakistan and Turkiye are brotherly Muslim countries that work closely on international matters.

Muslims around the world are concerned that decades-old UN Security Council resolutions on Kashmir and Palestine have not been implemented, he added.

He said Turkiye had a long association with JI, particularly since the tenure of former Turkish Prime Minister Necmettin Erbakan.

*Writing by Islamuddin Sajid