Owaisi’s Message to Turkey: ‘220 Million Honourable Muslims in India’ Amid Support for Pakistan
- MGMMTeam
- May 18
- 2 min read
On Saturday, Lok Sabha MP Asaduddin Owaisi criticized Turkey for its support of Pakistan, urging Ankara to reconsider its position in light of India having a significantly larger Muslim population than Pakistan.
The AIMIM leader cautioned Turkey against offering unconditional support to Pakistan and called on it to acknowledge the longstanding historical relationship it shares with India before making such diplomatic choices.
“Turkey must reconsider its stance of supporting Pakistan, and we must also remind Turkey that there is a bank called Isbank, where earlier depositors included people from India, such as from Hyderabad State and Rampur State. There are many historical connections with India, and you must know that until 1990, the Turkish language was taught in the Ladakh area,” said Owaisi.
Asaduddin Owaisi pointed out that India has a larger Muslim population than Pakistan and reminded Turkey that northern Turkish pilgrims historically passed through Ladakh on their way to Mumbai to perform Hajj.
“Until 1920, people from northern Turkey used to come to Ladakh and then travel to Mumbai to perform Hajj. We must continuously remind Turkey that there are 220 million honourable Muslims living in India. This whole bogey of Pakistan being a Muslim country is misleading. There are more Muslims in India than in Pakistan, and Pakistan has nothing to do with Islam at all,” Asaduddin Owaisi added.
India’s Growing Movement to Boycott Turkey and Azerbaijan
Following Operation Sindoor and the attack in Pahalgam, there has been a growing demand across India to boycott Turkey over its support for Pakistan. This movement has led to the cancellation of trips, suspension of academic partnerships, and the revocation of Celebi Aviation’s operating license.
Public outrage, including online protests, has also drawn attention to India’s aid to Turkey during the 2023 earthquake, raising questions about the mutuality of their relationship. To date, the Indian central government has not issued an official statement regarding these developments.
Several Indian universities—such as Jawaharlal Nehru University (JNU), Jamia Millia Islamia, and Lovely Professional University (LPU)—have suspended or terminated academic collaborations with Turkish and Azerbaijani institutions.
In particular, LPU announced it will end all such partnerships, citing concerns over Turkey’s and Azerbaijan’s diplomatic stances, which have aligned with Pakistan amid recent geopolitical tensions.
On Saturday, Sharda University also cut ties with Istanbul Aydin University and Hasan Kalyoncu University in Turkey, explaining that the move supports India’s national interests in light of deteriorating diplomatic relations and terminates student exchanges, joint research, and collaborative programs.
(Sources: Hindustan Times, Money Control)
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