Turkey to support Pakistan on Kashmir: Qureshi
Islamabad, Sep 14 : Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi on Friday said that Turkey has agreed to support Islamabad's bid for a peaceful resolution of the Kashmir issue at the UN.
Qureshi's comments came at a joint press conference at the Foreign Office with his Turkish counterpart Mevlut Cavusoglu, who is currently in Pakistan on a four-day visit.
"Turkey stands by Pakistan during its tough times... It supported Pakistan against the Financial Action Task Force's decision to place Islamabad on the grey list and wants the best solution for the Kashmir issue," Qureshi was cited as saying by Geo News.
"At the UN conference, there will be a separate conference on Kashmir on the side. It happens every year but it is different this time because a new UN report has come out which sheds light on the (Indian) Kashmir.
"There has certainly been a surge in the interest of people in the human rights abuses that are taking place there," said the Pakistani minister.
Cavusoglu said it was Turkey's wish that the Kashmir issue involving India and Pakistan gets resolved in the UN in a peaceful manner, according to Dawn newspaper.
"In the group that has been formed over Kashmir in the UN, we will stand with Pakistan."
According to Qureshi, Turkey also supported Pakistan's membership in the Nuclear Suppliers Group (NSG).
He said that ways to enhance economic and commercial ties with Turkey were also discussed in his meeting with Cavusoglu.
Later, Cavusoglu called on Pakistan Army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa.
They discussed bilateral ties, regional security including the evolving situation in the Middle East and the management of defence and security cooperation between both the countries, said the military's media wing, Inter Services Public Relations.
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Sanjay Raut demands re-election, alleges irregularities in EVMs during Maharashtra polls
Mumbai, Nov 25: Shiv Sena (UBT) MP Sanjay Raut on Monday demanded a re-election in Maharashtra using ballot papers, claiming there were irregularities with the electronic voting machines (EVMs).
Talking to reporters, Raut alleged several complaints about EVMs malfunctioning and questioned the integrity of the recently held elections.
The BJP-led Mahayuti won 230 out of 288 seats in the assembly elections, while the opposition Maha Vikas Aghadi managed 46 seats, with Shiv Sena (UBT) winning just 20 out of 95 seats it contested.
"We have received nearly 450 complaints regarding EVMs. Despite raising objections repeatedly, no action has been taken on these issues. How can we say these elections were conducted fairly? Hence, I demand that the results be set aside and elections be held again using ballot papers," Raut said.
Citing some instances, he said a candidate in Nashik reportedly received only four votes despite having 65 votes from his family, while in Dombivli, discrepancies were found in EVM tallies, and election officials refused to acknowledge the objections.
The Sena (UBT) leader also questioned the credibility of the landslide victories of some candidates, saying, "What revolutionary work have they done to receive more than 1.5 lakh votes? Even leaders who recently switched parties have become MLAs. This raises suspicions. For the first time, a senior leader like Sharad Pawar has expressed doubts about EVMs, which cannot be ignored."
Asked about the MVA's poor performance in the elections, Raut rejected the idea of blaming a single individual.
"We fought as a united MVA. Even a leader like Sharad Pawar, who commands immense respect in Maharashtra, faced defeat. This shows that we need to analyse the reasons behind the failure. One of the reasons is EVM irregularities and the misuse of the system, unconstitutional practices, and even judicial decisions left unresolved by Justice Chandrachud," he said.
Raut stressed that though internal differences might have existed within the MVA, the failure was collective.
He also accused the Mahayuti of conducting the elections in an unfair manner.
"I cannot call the elections fair given the numerous reports of discrepancies in EVMs, mismatched numbers, and vote irregularities across the state," Raut said.
