NEW DELHI: Criticising Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan’s comments on Kashir, India on Saturday asked the country not to interfere in its ‘internal affairs’ and to “develop proper understanding of facts including threat of terrorism emanating from Pakistan”.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said in a statement: “India rejects all references to Jammu & Kashmir, which is an integral and inalienable part of India.”
“We call upon the Turkish leadership to not interfere in India’s internal affairs and develop proper understanding of the facts, including the grave threat posed by terrorism emanating from Pakistan to India and the region,” he said.
The brusque message from the MEA came after Erdogan on Friday in his address to joint session of Pakistan’s Parliament, compared “the struggle of Kashmiri people with that of fight by Turkish people against foreign domination during the World War I”.
The Turkish President was quoted as saying by Daily Sabah: “And now, we feel the same about Kashmir today. It was Çanakkale yesterday and Kashmir today; there is no difference between the two,” Erdoğan said, adding that Turkey will continue to support Pakistan.”