Pahalgam Terror Attack: On a day when at least 26 people were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raked up the ‘Kashmir issue’ during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara
Sharif, who is visiting Ankara, during a joint press conference with Erdogen, thanked Turkey for its “unwavering support” on Kashmir. This was perhaps hours after the terror attack in Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
“Prime Minister Shehbaz called for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as he strongly condemned the killing of 50,000 innocent lives there. He expressed gratitude for Turkey’s unwavering support on the Kashmir issue,” said a report in Pakistan-based Express Tribune about the joint press conference in Ankara on April 22.
While there is no official confirmation on who was behind the Pahalgam attack, the Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to some reports on social media. Mint couldn’t, however, verify the authenticity of these reports.
The attack in Pahalgam – a popular tourist destination in South Kashmir’s Anantnag district – was carried out on a day when US Vice President JD Vance was in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia. Modi cut short his visit and landed in Delhi on Wednesday morning.
Erdogan has supported Pakistan’s narrative on Kashmir in the past. In February 2025, Erdogan brought up the Kashmir issue during his two-day visit to Pakistan.
“The Kashmir issue should be addressed according to the UN resolution through dialogue and keeping in mind the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,” he said.
India had then given a sharp response to Erdogan. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted that Jammu and Kashmir are “integral parts of India” and comments on India’s territorial integrity are “unacceptable”.
“We reject such objectionable comments on matters that are eternal to India. We have lodged a strong protest with the Turkish ambassador. Such unwarranted statements on India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are unacceptable. Jammu and Kashmir are integral parts of India,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in February 2025.
Prime Minister Shehbaz called for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as he strongly condemned the killing of 50,000 innocent lives there. He expressed gratitude for Turkey’s unwavering support on the Kashmir issue. On the Cyprus issue, he said, “We support Turkey’s position”.
Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has left for Ankara to meet Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to discuss bilateral ties and the regional situation
At a joint press conference following their talks, President Erdogan expressed Turkey’s full support for Pakistan’s efforts to eliminate terrorism and praised Islamabad’s stance on the Palestinian issue
As Indian security forces in Kashmir carried out a major manhunt Wednesday, a day after gunmen opened fire on tourists, slaughtering at least 26 people in the region’s deadliest attack on civilians since 2000.
Prime Minister Narendra Modi decried the “heinous act” and pledged that the attackers “will be brought to justice”.
Modi, who cut short a state visit to Saudi Arabia to return to India early Wednesday, met with top security officials immediately on his arrival, a government official said.
No official toll has been released, but security sources told AFP that at least 26 people were killed on Tuesday afternoon when gunmen burst out of forests at a popular tourist spot and raked crowds of visitors with automatic gunfire.
Jammu and Kashmir Chief Minister Omar Abdullah said the attack had been “much larger than anything we’ve seen directed at civilians in recent years”.
Prime Minister Shehbaz called for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as he strongly condemned the killing of 50,000 innocent lives there.
No group has claimed responsibility, but rebels in the Muslim-majority region have waged an insurgency since 1989.
They are seeking independence or a merger with Pakistan, which controls a smaller part of the Kashmir region and, like India, claims it in full.
About The Author
