India issues statement in wake of Erdogan’s visit

ANKARA (AA) - India released a statement on Saturday following a recent official visit by the Turkish president to Pakistan.

In the statement, Indian External Affairs Ministry’s spokesman Raveesh Kumar urged Turkey to "not interfere" in what it said were India's "internal affairs," adding that it rejected "all references to Jammu and Kashmir" in a joint declaration between Ankara and Islamabad following the visit by Recep Tayyip Erdogan to Islamabad.

Meanwhile in Pakistan, Erdogan’s visit dominated the country’s media outlet.

Pakistan’s most popular Urdu-language newspaper, the Daily Jang highlighted the ongoing strategic, trade, and investment cooperation between the two countries, including their joint efforts to combat Islamophobia.

Dawn -- the country’s oldest English-language daily -- focused on the visit’s potential to transform Pakistan and Turkey’s brotherly relations into a dynamic economic partnership.

Jammu and Kashmir is held by India and Pakistan in parts and claimed by both in full. A small sliver of Kashmir is also held by China.

Since they were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars – in 1948, 1965 and 1971 – including two over Kashmir.

Some Kashmiri groups in Jammu and Kashmir have been fighting against Indian rule for independence or unification with neighboring Pakistan.

According to several human rights organizations, thousands of people have reportedly been killed in the conflict in the region since 1989.

*Ahmad Adil from India contributed to the story.

*Writing by Burak Dag