Ambassador of Turkiye calls on the Prime Minister

ISLAMABAD: MAY 3 (DNA):Amb. Dr. Irfan Neziroglu, Ambassador of the Republic of Turkiye, called on Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif at the Prime Minister House today.

During the meeting, the Prime Minister conveyed his warmest wishes and greetings to President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and fondly recalled his recent visit to Ankara on 22 April 2025 where the two leaders had excellent discussions on advancing Pakistan-Turkiye relations across all spheres.

The Prime Minister thanked President Erdogan for his strong statement of support for Pakistan during the prevailing situation in South Asia as well as his call for peace in the region. The Prime Minister noted that Turkiye’s support to Pakistan was reflective of the historic, deep-rooted, and time-tested brotherly relations between the two countries and their peoples.

The Prime Minister said that, despite India’s provocative actions following the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan’s response was responsible and measured. He  reiterated that Pakistan had always condemned terrorism in all its forms and manifestations. He enumerated that Pakistan had rendered great sacrifices in its counter-terrorism efforts, including 90,000 casualties and over USD 152 billion in economic losses over the years. He further said that India’s actions would distract Pakistan from its counter-terrorism efforts. 

The Prime Minister emphasised that India had failed to share any evidence and was falsely trying to link   Pakistan to the Pahalgam incident. He added that India had yet to respond to Pakistan’s offer to have a credible, transparent and neutral international investigation to ascertain the facts behind the Pahalgam incident. Pakistan would cooperate fully with such an investigation and would welcome if Turkiye joined it.

He reaffirmed his Government’s focus on Pakistan’s economic recovery and growth for which it required peace and security in its neighborhood.

The Turkish Ambassador informed the Prime Minister that Turkiye appreciated Pakistan’s position and expressed its solidarity with Pakistan while calling for de-escalation and urging restraint in the current crisis to maintain peace and security in South Asia.