Turkish parliamentarian voices support for Kashmir

Turkish parliament's Foreign Affairs Committee Head Volkan Bozkır on Tuesday voiced support for Muslims in the Jammu Kashmir region.

In a meeting with Shah Ghulam Qadir, speaker of Azad Jammu Kashmir (AJK) Legislative Assembly, Bozkir said that Pakistan is not only a friendly country for Turkey, but a brotherly country.

"We want the issue to be resolved amicably, in light of legitimate demands of the Kashmiri people," said Bozkir.

Qadir said: "India wants to portray resistance by Muslims in Kashmir as terrorism to the world."

He criticized the silence of the world over the Kashmir issue. "This situation upsets us. Turkey's backing is strengthening us, giving hope to us."

Kashmir, a Muslim-majority Himalayan region, 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 India and Pakistan were partitioned in 1947, the two countries have fought three wars -- in 1948, 1965, and 1971 -- two of them over Kashmir.

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

More than 70,000 people have reportedly been killed in the conflict since 1989. India maintains more than half a million troops in the disputed region.