“Relations Built On Sensitivities To…”: India On Turkey’s Support To Pakistan

In a firm statement to Turkey regarding its support for Pakistan lately, the Government of India declared on Thursday that New Delhi anticipates Ankara to prompt Pakistan to tackle the issue of cross-border terrorism originating from it.

New Delhi additionally urged Turkey to persuade Pakistan to refrain from employing terrorism as a tool of state policy and to undertake credible and verifiable measures against the terror network that Islamabad and Rawalpindi have nurtured for years.

With Ankara’s leaning towards Pakistan following the terror strike in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, links between India and Turkey have suffered. India emphasized that the relationship between the two nations is founded on mutual respect and an understanding of each other’s concerns.

“We expect Turkey to strongly urge Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harbored for decades. Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other’s concerns,” External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal said at a weekly press briefing today.

Turkey’s role in Pakistan’s escalations against India, which started with the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, came under focus during India’s Operation Sindoor response. Besides ideological and moral support to Islamabad, Turkey provided arms and weapons to Pakistan as well.

Around 300-400 drones employed by Pakistan in its military escalation against India were primarily supplied by Turkey. These drones aimed at military and civilian regions in India. The drones were employed to conduct numerous breaches and infractions of Indian airspace throughout the complete western border – from Leh in Ladakh to Sir Creek in Gujarat – across 36 sites, the government announced during its Op Sindoor press briefing.

Furthermore, Turkey expressed support for Pakistan when India eliminated over 100 terrorists who were hiding in terror camps targeted by India’s precise missile strikes on terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. Simultaneously, Turkey refrained from condemning the Pahalgam terror attack, executed by terrorists connected to Pakistan and linked to The Resistance Front – a splinter group of the UN-proscribed Lashkar-e-Taiba.

Turkey has long supported Pakistan in its invasion and unlawful occupation of Indian land in Jammu and Kashmir. Turkey additionally engaged in military displays during Operation Sindoor by dispatching its warship to Karachi Port, referring to it as a “routine port call.” Ankara has also allegedly dispatched military planes loaded with arms and munitions to support Pakistan in its conflict with India—claims that Turkey has refuted, asserting the planes arrived solely for refuelling.

After India eliminated over 100 terrorists, a note of solidarity sent by Turkish President Erdogan to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif stated that “I pray for Allah’s mercy for our brothers who lost their lives in the attacks, and I extend my condolences to the brotherly people and state of Pakistan.”

Amid growing anti-Turkey sentiments in India, activists and citizens have called for a total boycott of Turkish goods and services in India. People have also urged fellow Indians to avoid Turkey as a holiday destination and appealed to filmmakers to avoid shoots in that country.