With Kashmir gambit, Turkey eyes leadership of Islamic world

The recent Turkey-Pakistan agreement is a win-win for both the countries and how Turkish President's unconditional support to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue cannot be seen in isolation, writes senior journalist Sanjib Kr Baruah.

New Delhi:Friday must have been a day of discomfort for the professional diplomats and strategists at Delhi’s South Block which houses India’s foreign ministry. It was the day that Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan spoke to Pakistan’s National Assembly and the Senate in a joint parliament sitting. The main takeaway was Turkey’s position of unwavering support to Pakistan on Kashmir.

The K-talk only further underlined the fact that Kashmir is increasingly becoming a converging point for taking positions for the world’s Islamic nations. It is here that all the points of conflict and confluence are playing out for the Muslim countries.

That is why Erdogan’s unconditional support to Pakistan on the Kashmir issue cannot be seen in isolation. In taking such a stand, Turkey is staking claim for the leadership the Islamic world where Iran is a competitor to the position.

“Turkey will continue to raise its voice against the oppression… Today, the issue of Kashmir is as close to us as it is to you (Pakistanis)… No distance can build a wall between the hearts of believers,” Erdogan told Pakistani parliament. It is a significant statement aimed at the Islamic world through which Erdogan wants to send out a clear message that he has the interests of Muslims foremost in his mind.

With West Asia in great turmoil, changes in the structured world of the Islamic community are but natural. Traditionally, it has been Saudi Arabia that had led the Islamic countries from the front. That has been partly because of the fact that the holiest places for Muslims are situated in Arabia.

The transnational pan-Islamic movement and the fight for its leadership have seen keen rivalries in the past where the most defining competition has been between Persian power Iran and the Sunni Arabs professing adherence to the Wahabbist school of thought. Turkey is breaking new ground here.

But the close political, military and economic relationship of the House of Saud with the United States, now bordering on the umbilical, has put Saudi Arabia on a very weak footing. Just to cite an instance, in the last 10 years, the kingdom has bought $110 billion worth of weapons from the US.

Saudi Arabia’s warming ties with Israel is also under close scrutiny in the ‘umaah’. And that is why, Saudi Arabia’s response to the August 5, 2019, abrogation of Article 370 which took away the special status given to Jammu and Kashmir under the Indian Constitution, has been ‘muted’ to say the least. This has been to the discomfiture of most Muslim nations among whom the Saudi position on Kashmir is not being seen in good light.

The waning influence of the Saudis is being watched with rapt attention in many countries including Turkey, Iran and Malaysia. It is well understood that the position of the leadership of the Islamic world is up for grabs.

And that is where Turkey and Iran are playing out their cards. Turkey with more than 80 per cent Sunnis clearly holds the advantage over Iran which has 91 per cent Shias. But at the same time, there are legacy issues between Arabs and the Turks. Historically, Turkey was very much the target of the Pan-Arab movement.

On the other hand, Turkey and Iran do not cherish the best of ties much of which have been played out in the battlegrounds of a conflict-ridden Syria.

While it is for posterity to judge whether the abrogation of Article 370 is to be a wise decision or not, there is no doubting that Kashmir indeed has been internationalized like never before.

And with Pakistan getting more play on Kashmir than ever in the global arena, it is an issue of growing concern for India, as it is most strategically placed to funnel international funds and support for a global ‘jihad’ where Kashmir would veritably be a focal centre.