On Pahalgam attack day, Pak PM Shehbaz Sharif thanked Turkey's Erdogan for ‘unwavering’ support on Kashmir issue

Pahalgam Terror Attack: On a day when at least 26 people were killed in a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir's Pahalgam, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif raked up the ‘Kashmir issue’ during his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan in Ankara

Sharif, who is visiting Ankara, during a joint press conference with Erdogen, thanked Turkey for its "unwavering support" on Kashmir. This was perhaps hours after the terror attack in Kashmir's Pahalgam.

“Prime Minister Shehbaz called for immediate ceasefire in Gaza, as he strongly condemned the killing of 50,000 innocent lives there. He expressed gratitude for Turkey's unwavering support on the Kashmir issue,” said a report in Pakistan-based Express Tribune about the joint press conference in Ankara on April 22.

While there is no official confirmation on who was behind the Pahalgam attack, the Resistance Front (TRF), an offshoot of Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba, claimed responsibility for the attack, according to some reports on social media. Mint couldn't, however, verify the authenticity of these reports.

Erdogen's Support to Pakistan

The attack in Pahalgam – a popular tourist destination in South Kashmir's Anantnag district – was carried out on a day when US Vice President JD Vance was in India and Prime Minister Narendra Modi was on a state visit to Saudi Arabia. Modi cut short his visit and landed in Delhi on Wednesday morning.

Erdogan has supported Pakistan's narrative on Kashmir in the past. In February 2025, Erdogan brought up the Kashmir issue during his two-day visit to Pakistan.

“The Kashmir issue should be addressed according to the UN resolution through dialogue and keeping in mind the aspirations of the people of Kashmir,” he said.

India had then given a sharp response to Erdogan. Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) asserted that Jammu and Kashmir are “integral parts of India” and comments on India's territorial integrity are “unacceptable”.

“We reject such objectionable comments on matters that are eternal to India. We have lodged a strong protest with the Turkish ambassador. Such unwarranted statements on India’s territorial integrity and sovereignty are unacceptable. Jammu and Kashmir are integral parts of India,” MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said in February 2025.

Pak Army Chief's 'Jugular Vein' Rant

The April 22 attack in Pahalgam comes a week after Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir sparked a row when he said Kashmir is Islamabad’s 'jugular vein.’ The remark evoked a strong objection from New Delhi.

“Our stance is absolutely clear, it was our jugular vein, it will be our jugular vein, we will not forget it. We will not leave our Kashmiri brothers in their heroic struggle,” General Munir said in Islamabad while addressing the Overseas Pakistani Convention.

Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) reacted to General Munir’s statement last week saying, “how can anything foreign be in a jugular vein? This is a Union Territory of India. Its only relationship with Pakistan is the vacation of illegally occupied territories by that country.”