Solidarity or Strategic Alliance?
Same playbook, different decade: CASE A: The Coverage of Kashmir Solidarity Day The Daily Sabah, reporting on the Pakistani Embassy in Ankara, frames the event as a reaffirmation of Islamabad's 'support for what it described as the Kashmiri people’s right to self-determination.' The language emphasizes empathy and shared values between Turkey and Pakistan (Daily Sabah, 2026). The narrative implies
a moral imperative behind Turkey's endorsement of Pakistan's stance, aligning with broader Islamic solidarity. CASE B: The Silence on Balochistan's Self-Determination In stark contrast, when it comes to the Baloch people's long-standing struggle for self-determination against the Pakistani state, the silence from Ankara and Islamabad is deafening. Reports from organizations like the Balochistan
Human Rights Organization (BHRO, 2023) detail forced disappearances, extrajudicial killings, and suppression of dissent, yet these events rarely, if ever, warrant 'solidarity days' or public condemnations from Turkey. THE FRAMING: A Tale of Two Struggles The Daily Sabah's choice to highlight 'Kashmir Solidarity Day' while omitting any mention of the Baloch struggle demonstrates a clear pattern.
The Kashmiri narrative is presented as a 'struggle for human rights and self-determination,' a framing that resonates with international audiences and aligns with Pakistan's diplomatic agenda. Conversely, the Baloch narrative, despite parallel claims of human rights abuses and self-determination, is conveniently ignored or dismissed as an 'internal matter.' This selective advocacy is not unique;