Why Turkey’s Erdogan skipped Kashmir in speech, rattled Pakistan | Explained

For the first time in years, Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan skipped mentioning Jammu and Kashmir in his speech at the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA). What is being seen as a diplomatic victory for India, has rattled Pakistan. Islamabad says it doesn’t show a shift in Turkey’s stand on Kashmir.

Erdogan not mentioning Kashmir is being seen as a major shift in its stance. This comes at a time when Turkey is trying to become a member of the Brics grouping to forge alliances beyond the West.

The shift is remarkable because even as recently as February, Turkey had joined Pakistan to spread the canard on the Kashmir issue at a multilateral forum.

At the 55th Human Rights Council of the United Nations, India exercised its ‘Right to Reply’ for a staunch response to Turkey and Pakistan for the mention of Jammu and Kashmir on the platform.

“We regret the comment made by Turkiye on the matter that is an internal affair of India, and hope that it would refrain from making unsolicited comments on our internal matters in the future,” India’s First Secretary Anupama Singh said.

T¼rkiye is the new official name for Turkey.

Pakistan, which counted on Erdogan’s support on the Kashmir issue, is rattled by the sudden change in Turkey’s stance, but is asking that meanings shouldn’t be drawn from the speech.

“Our president has already expressed multiple times that we wish to become a member of Brics. Our request in this matter is clear, and the process is proceeding within this framework,” a spokesperson for Turkey’s leading AK Party said in September.

The emerging markets bloc BRICS, which started with Brazil, Russia, India, China and South Africa, added four new members — Iran, Egypt, Ethiopia, and the UAE — this year.

Turkey’s request to join the Brics is significant as it is seen as a counterweight to Western alliances.

Even Pakistan’s Prime Minister, Shahbaz Sharif, who met with President Erdogan on Monday, did not mention Kashmir as one of the issues discussed. Instead, he highlighted Gaza in his X post.

“We assured each other of our consistent and continued support on core interests, and also discussed regional developments, especially the situation in Gaza,” posted Sharif on X, along with two photos of him with the Turkish leader.

Therefore, Turkish President Erdogan’s skipping of Kashmir in his UN speech could be a result of the aspiration to join Brics. And it has rattled Pakistan as it has lost a close ally that helped it spread its cannards.

“We should not draw any undue inferences from one statement,” Foreign Office spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said during a weekly media briefing, Pakistan’s Dawn reported on Friday.

She said Turkey had “a consistent and principled position” on the Kashmir issue, pointing out that Istanbul had endorsed the joint communiqué of the OIC Contact Group on Kashmir. The OIC or Organisation of Muslim Countries met on Wednesday in New York on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly (UNGA).

Erdogan’s shift is a real surprise for Pakistan because he met Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on the sidelines of the UNGA session in New York on September 25 and is said to have reaffirmed Turkey’s support for for Pakistan.

“PM Shehbaz meets Turkish President Erdogan at UNGA. Discussing enhanced bilateral ties, Gaza and Kashmir humanitarian crises, and climate change. Turkey reaffirms support for Kashmir,” Mehwish Sultan, a member of Punjab Assembly, posted on X on September 25.

However, even the Pakistani daily, Dawn, analysed that the change in Erdogan’s stance had to do with Turkey’s aspirations.

“It is believed that Kashmir’s omission reflected Turkiye’s growing interest in strengthening ties with India, particularly in the economic sphere. Moreover, it aligns with Turkiye’s aspirations to join the BRICS grouping, where India plays a key role,” it reported.