PM Shehbaz to attend President Erdogan’s inauguration ceremony in Ankara

Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is to attend the inauguration ceremony of Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan in Ankara on Saturday, reported 24NewsHD TV channel.

PM Shehbaz’s visit will be a reaffirmation of the deep-rooted fraternal ties between Pakistan and Turkiye.

The prime minister will convey felicitations on behalf of the government and people of Pakistan to Recep Tayyip Erdogan on his re-election as President of Turkiye.

Shehbaz Sharif will also extend an invitation to President Erdogan to attend the 7th meeting of the High Level Strategic Cooperation Council in Islamabad.

This was announced by Foreign Office Spokesperson Mumtaz Zahra Baloch during her weekly news briefing in Islamabad on Thursday.

To a question, she said Pakistan has expressed grave concerns over the idea of Akhand Bharat being increasingly peddled by the ruling Indian dispensation. 

Mumtaz Zahra Baloch said that a mural installed at the new parliament building in New Delhi depicts the so-called ancient India including areas that now constitute parts of Pakistan and other regional countries.

She said we are appalled at the statements being made by some BJP politicians including the Union Minister linking the mural with Akhand Bharat. This assertion is a manifestation of expansionist mindset that seek to subjugate the ideology and culture not only of India's neighbors but also its religious minorities.

The spokesperson advised the Indian politicians not to indulge in rhetoric against other countries. She said instead of nurturing hegemonic and expansionist designs, India should resolve disputes with its neighbors for a peaceful and prosperous South Asia.

The spokesperson said Pakistan is deeply concerned over India's latest move seeking death penalty for prominent Kashmiri leader Yasin Malik. She said the Kashmiri leader is being held in inhumane conditions in the notorious Tihar Jail despite his deteriorating health.

She said India's latest move is another instance of political vendetta aimed at silencing the Kashmiri leadership and intimidating the Kashmiri people. She said it is a manifestation of India's unending and pervasive oppression in IIOJK where political leaders  and human rights defenders are routinely incarcerated on trumped up and baseless charges.

The spokesperson urged the Indian authorities to bring an end to this farce of a trial of Yasin Malik. She said Yasin Malik must be provided with quality health treatment and allowed to live freely among his people and family. She said India must also immediately and unconditionally release the Kashmiri leadership and human rights defenders who are being unjustly held in prisons in IIOJK and across India.

 

Reporter Mohsinul Mulk