Kashmir: Turkey fans anti-national aspirations of Indian Muslims and political ambitions of Pakistan

Last updated on February 14th, 2023 at 01:07 pm

Turkey, which claims to be the new flag bearer of ‘justice for Kashmir’, has been echoing Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan’s narrative of the conflict and supports Islamabad’s claim over the Indian Territory. As per the recent Indian intelligence report, which was the second report in last few weeks, Turkey has been increasing influence over Indian NGOs and cultural institutions to indoctrinate more Indian Muslims against India.

The report said that Turkey has been using ‘soft power’ of ‘lucrative scholarships’ as a bait to lure more Indian nationals to go for an all-paid ‘exchange-program’ in Turkey, wherein they are provided training, or rather brainwashed by radical Islamic propagators, to prepare a little army of extremist ideology bearers, only to be released back in their land.

The Indian intelligence assessment report said, “Turkey has been providing lucrative scholarships and running exchange programmes for Indian Kashmiri and Muslim students to study in Turkey through state-sponsored NGOs. Once the students land in Turkey, they are approached and taken over by the Pakistan proxies operating there.”

The report added that it has also identified individuals and groups, some of whom were suspected to be linked with Pakistan’s ISI. The report also listed organisations which has been carrying out this ‘exchange program from Indian Muslims. These include Turkey Youth Foundation (TUGVA), Presidency of Turks Abroad and Related Communities (YTB), Turkish Airlines, Yunnus Emre Institute (YEI), Turkey’s Diyanet Foundation (TDF) and Turkist Cooperation and Coordination Agency (TIKA).

“Most of these organisations have direct connections with the Turkish government, President Erdogan or his family,” a counter-terror official said.

The Intel report also exposed how Turkish Embassy in Delhi has been building ties with Indian NGOs, and in the name of exposure providing a forum to Indian activists in Ankara wherein they interact with ‘like-minded’ propagators and are encouraged to speak against India.

It’s quiet ironic to see a nation whose democracy lost meaning, free thinkers lost freedom and press lost voice under the rule of despotic President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, has turned into into a hub of ‘learning and development’. But this training hub professes only one a particular ideology, to establish extremist Islamic wave all across the world. Erdogan promotes the brand of conservative Islam and wants to re-brand every region under this ideology in order to establish his dominance. 

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A nation known for ruining Syria, sending mercenaries to Libya, unlawfully claiming sea territories of Cyprus and blackmailing EU by accelerating refugee crisis in the continent, has now turned towards Asia to resolve the decades long conflict of Kashmir. Erdogan’s long-riding ambition of re-establishing Ottoman Empire with all its glory, has pushed him to use terror outfits to do its dirty work. Erdogan has put in same game plan of pushing from diplomatic resolution overtly, while financing terror activities to crumble the nation from inside, covertly. Kashmir has sudden grown as close to Turkey as Pakistan and Turkish Premier calls for a democratic vote to decide the fate of the land, which has been victim of frequent terror attacks. Erdogan has been focusing on expanding influence over South Asian Muslims with a motive to challenge Saudi Arabia’s dominance in the Islamic world.