President Alvi endorses Malaysian-Turkish-Pak joint venture to unite Muslim world

ISLAMABAD: President Dr Arif Alvi has endorsed Malaysian Prime Minister Mahathir Mohammad’s proposal for a joint venture among Malaysia, Turkey and Pakistan to unite the Muslim world.

The Malaysian prime minister's proposal was very important and the joint venture of three big Islamic countries would help the Muslim world, he said in an exclusive interview with Anadolu Agency.

The president also thanked the Turkish government and people for their support on the Kashmir issue.

To a question about the Malaysian prime minister’s proposal, the president said what was happening in the Middle East, Turkey was playing a good and major role around its border in Syria and trying to achieve peace.

He said there would be a major rebuilding in the Middle East and a major rebuilding of Afghanistan when there was peace, he added.

The president said Turkey, Pakistan and Malaysia could play a big role not only for peace but at the same time for a joint venture for development throughout the Middle East, Afghanistan and in the Muslim world.

About the Kashmir issue, he said the pattern of Gujarat riots continued in the Indian Occupied Jammu and Kashmir and Assam.

India was treading a very dangerous path by targeting the Muslims and all anti-government voices through a fascist manner, but it could not suppress the voice of Kashmiris through use of brute force.

He said India had labelled the Kashmiris’ movement as a terrorist movement but the world and Turkish brothers understand it very well that how illegally they had labelled all freedom struggles, which were recognized by the United Nations, to be terrorist movements.

That was what India tried to do, he added.

About the UN and other world powers' role on the Kashmir issue, the president said the Modi government had brought the situation to a level where the governments throughout the world have to react.

"Today is the 45th day when the voice of Kashmiri people is totally suppressed and nobody knows about the exact situation inside Kashmir as the valley is entirely locked down.

I believe that sooner or later Kashmir is going to have a plebiscite."

He said Pakistan wanted peace to bring prosperity between the two neighbours.

But unfortunately the Indian government had belligerent relations with all the neighbours, including Pakistan, and this was a very sad situation, he added.

About Pak-Turkish ties, the president said bilateral relations between the two countries were exemplary as both were very close friends.

There was a tremendous cooperation between the two brotherly countries in various fields and it would keep on improving.

He said Pakistan and Turkey themselves were great examples that “we live together, we think together and we should be working together.”