Turkey
Turkish NGOs' presence in Jammu and Kashmir concerns Indian security agencies
Turkey-based Islamist charity organisations and Turkish NGOs have made their presence felt in Jammu and Kashmir, especially after the scrapping of Article 370, hinting that a stance has been taken by country's Recep Tayyip Erdogan giving a strong fuel to his anti-Kashmir rhetoric.
It is observed that activities of Turkey-based outfits intensified in the Union Territory during Ramadan, reports Zee News.
One of the most prominent and powerful Turkey-based NGOs, which has a worldwide presence with most of its units, located abroad, has been found to be indulging in anti-India activities.
"During the last Ramadan, the organisation distributed food and money in the form of zakat in Jammu and Kashmir," a senior officer deployed in the Central security establishment told Zee News.
It also organised a charity programme in Jammu and Kashmir on Eid. "Organisation's unit in Germany also conducted charity for Kashmir and extended its support for the separatist elements," the official told the news channel.
Observers of Islamist charity organisations believe that the NGO has been floated by Turkey's Religious Directorate, Diyanet — an organization aggressively promoting Erdogan’s religious agenda. The organisation is also a member of the Union of NGOs of Islamic World — IDSB, reported the news channel.
The IDSB is an umbrella organisation of Islamist NGOs controlled by Diyanet and has been tasked with promoting Erdogan’s geopolitical agenda. IDSB also issued a statement criticizing India’s move to abrogate Article 370 and termed it a ‘threat to global peace and stability’, the news portal said.
Another major outfit with significant presence in J&K and other parts of India is Hayder Foundation. The organisation has been conducting charity work in Kashmir and has intensified its activities post 5 August 2019, Zee News reported.
It organises ‘Yesevi Supper’, based on the organisation's Turkish name, all over India. A couple of locals have confessed that the organisation is promoting political Islam in the region and garnering support for Erdogan, the news channel reported.
Besides their activities in J&K, Turkish NGOs are also subverting Indian students studying in Turkey on the issue of J&K through events and organizational memberships.
They especially target Kashmiri students and invite them as participants and speakers in events organised on the Kashmir issue. To date, over a dozen anti-India events have been organised in Turkey after the abrogation of Article 370, partnered by Pakistani outfits based in Turkey.
A number of ISI proxies attend the event along with diplomats of Pakistani missions, including the Pakistani Ambassador to Turkey himself.
"Once the students reach Turkey, they get associated with these two organizations and most of them end up as active cadres. Since the past few years, the number of Kashmiri students receiving scholarships by these organisations has significantly increased. Further, upon the return of these students back to India, they act as ambassadors of Erdogan’s party and further contribute to the selection process for scholarship, besides other things. The Turkish Embassy in India ensures maintaining a perennial contact with these students," a source aware of these developments said Zee News.
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