Intelligence report: Turkey hub of anti-India operations

Tribune News Service

New Delhi, January 30

Turkey is the new Dubai as far as influence operations against Kashmir are concerned, concur security officials here who are now detecting attempts to expand its ambit to cover the Indian mainland Muslims as well as raise doubts about India’s foreign policy.

Two intelligence reports late last year had flagged the emergence of Turkey as the hub of anti-India activities pushed by Pakistan’s ISI after its earlier stomping grounds of the UAE and Saudi Arabia became out of bounds as these countries intensified ties with Delhi to the extent of storing their strategic reserves in India.

The expansion of Turkey’s foreign policy footprint tallies with Ankara’s attempt to influence Muslims beyond the Arab heartland. Despite a failed attempt to form a grouping with Pakistan and Malaysia, ties with ISI turned warmer and have gone beyond Kashmir to backing Islamist organisations in India.

The report to NSC Secretariat speaks of three-pronged efforts by the Turkish government and related institutions — by media (employment to Kashmiri journalists); educational institutes (well-paying scholarships) and NGOs (influence Indian Muslims on foreign policy inimical to Indian interests). 

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