Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan offered Ankara’s support to help defuse rising tensions between Pakistan and India following deadly cross-border attacks in the disputed region of Kashmir during a phone call with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Wednesday, the state-run Anadolu news agency reported.
The call came after an escalation of violence along the Line of Control (LoC), the de facto border that divides India and Pakistani-administered Kashmir. The Pakistani military said at least 31 people were killed and 57 others injured in missile strikes and cross-border shelling from Indian forces. The Indian Ministry of External Affairs reported 13 fatalities and 59 injuries on its side, along with the death of an Indian soldier.
The Turkish Communications Directorate said Erdoğan expressed Turkey’s readiness to “do its utmost to prevent further escalation of tensions” between the two nuclear-armed neighbors. He also conveyed condolences for the victims of the Indian attack early on May 7 local time and reiterated Ankara’s “solidarity with Pakistan,” praising Islamabad’s “calm and measured approach.”
At the heart of India and Pakistan’s longstanding animosity lies the status of the picturesque valley of Kashmir, over which India and Pakistan have fought three of their four previous wars. Since gaining independence from British rule in 1947, both countries have controlled parts of Kashmir, with China controlling another part of it, but continue to claim it in full.
Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif, in a statement on X thanked Turkey for its “solidarity and support” and said Pakistan appreciated Turkish efforts to promote de-escalation and regional peace. “We will protect our sovereignty and territorial integrity at all costs,” Sharif added.
Tensions have soared since India launched missile strikes on what it called “nine terror locations” in Pakistan-administered Kashmir earlier this week. In response, the Pakistani military said it shot down five Indian fighter jets and a combat drone. New Delhi has not officially confirmed the loss of any aircraft.
Additionally, one person was reported killed by a suspected Indian drone strike in southern Pakistan’s Sindh province on Thursday, according to Pakistani officials.
The recent flare-up marks one of the most serious escalations between the two countries in years and raises concerns of a broader conflict in South Asia.
Turkey, a longstanding ally of Pakistan, has maintained close diplomatic, military and economic ties with Islamabad. Under Erdoğan’s leadership, Ankara has consistently supported Pakistan’s position on Kashmir in international forums and has often called for dialogue and peaceful resolution of disputes in the region.
Erdoğan’s latest offer to mediate comes amid heightened international concern over the possibility of miscalculation between India and Pakistan, both of which possess nuclear weapons.