Pakistan Defense Day marked in Turkey

By Emir S. Demirci

ANKARA (AA) - The Pakistan Embassy in Ankara held a ceremony to observe the Defense Day of Pakistan on Friday, and the Kashmir Solidarity Day to raise support for Kashmir.

Pakistan's Ambassador Muhammad Syrus Sajjad Qazi said Pakistan will always stand by its Kashmiri brothers, and will defend its nation and motherland under all circumstances.

Pakistan marks Sept. 6 annually to remember the sacrifices of armed forces for the defense of the country during its 1965 war with India.

Intense fighting between the two countries took place between August and September that year, with both sides claiming victory after it ended Sept. 22 with a UN-sponsored cease-fire.

"Today, we declare to the international community that Pakistan is a peaceful country," said Qazi.

Organizing the event Friday shows to the world that Pakistan is in solidarity with the people of Jammu Kashmir, Qazi said, adding the region has been under siege for a month.

Pakistan will not hesitate to defend the rights of the oppressed under occupation, said the ambassador.

Whenever Pakistan face the struggles, the Turkish people support Pakistan and are at the forefront of every effort, he said.

From 1954 until Aug. 5, Jammu and Kashmir had special provisions under which it enacted its own laws. The provisions also protected the region's citizenship law, which barred outsiders from settling in and owning land in the territory.

India and Pakistan hold Kashmir in parts and claim it in full. China also controls part of the contested region, but India and Pakistan have fought two wars over Kashmir.