There isn’t any need for Turkey to intervene
Turkey has pledged support to India in fighting terrorism, which is a welcome gesture. What is not welcome is Turkey’s offer to mediate between India and Pakistan over the Kashmir issue. New Delhi has consistently held on to the opinion that Kashmir is a bilateral issue that needs to be sorted out between India and Pakistan without outside mediation. This is in keeping with the letter and spirit of the Shimla Accord to which Pakistan also is a signatory. New Delhi had earlier snubbed various other similar offers of help in this regard — even from the US. By now, most countries have come around to India’s point of view that Kashmir is to be resolved between the two nations concerned. It was, therefore, quite unnecessary for Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, on his visit to India, to offer his services in this direction. India has promptly and politely, and rightly so, rejected the proposal made in the course of a television interview. One hopes that he will abandon the idea for good now. New Delhi’s rejection is a signal to other countries that may be harbouring similar dreams. Only weeks ago, newly appointed US envoy to the United Nations, Nikki Haley had upset the Indian establishment with her remark that the US would want to involve itself on Kashmir. Pakistan is naturally delighted with such statements — it has already welcomed Erdogan’s offer, and had on more than one occasion nudged Washington DC to intervene.
Islamabad’s argument is that third party mediation is necessary because the issue has failed to get resolved bilaterally. What it does not add is that resolution has eluded because of Pakistan’s own duplicity. India has always been ready for talks on Kashmir but with the rider that Pakistan must bring an end to its sponsorship of militancy in Kashmir and elsewhere in the country. Neither Pakistan’s civilian establishment nor its Army has demonstrated any desire to do so. With terrorism vitiating the environment for talks, there cannot be any dialogue. Realising that it is on weak grounds, Pakistan has been seeking to complicate matters through third party involvement. Nations that are eager to jump into a bilateral issue must first ask Pakistan to behave so that talks have a fair chance of success. As far as Turkey is concerned, it must revise its policy of hyphenating India and Pakistan. Nothing can be more disconcerting to a democratic nation such as ours than to be bracketed with a country that has made terrorism into a state policy.
President Erdogan has forcefully vowed to be with India in the fight against terrorism, and remarked that “terrorists will be drowned in the blood they shed”. Strong words indeed. But the one Indian State which has experienced the greatest amount of terrorism is Jammu & Kashmir, and Turkey is silent over condemning Pakistan-based-and-sponsored terrorism there. The “shared worry” that Ankara has with New Delhi over threats of terrorism should also be reflected over its stand on Kashmir — but it is not. Meanwhile, with India and Turkey in agreement that “no intent or goal or reason or rationale” can justify terror attacks, the latter should also aggressively back India’s demand for the United Nations to adopt a Comprehensive Convention on International Terrorism.