New Delhi:
Pakistan’s massive military escalation along the Line of Control (LoC) in Jammu and Kashmir and the International Border in other states had a Turkish link. 300-400 drones provided by Turkey were used by Pakistan to target both military and civilian areas in India.
The drones were used to carry out multiple intrusions and violations of Indian airspace along the entire western border – from Leh in Ladakh to Sir Creek in Gujarat – at 36 locations, the government said at a special press briefing on Operation Sindoor.
Of the nearly 400 drones sent by Pakistan, “the Indian armed forces brought down a number of these drones using kinetic and non-kinetic means,” the government said, adding that the drone debris is being investigated by forensic experts.
Initial forensic evidence of the drone debris suggests that these were ‘Asis Guard Songar’ drones of Turkey, the government noted.
Turkey, which has neither condemned the terror attack on civilians in Jammu and Kashmir, nor sent its condolences to the families of Indian tourists killed by Pakistan-linked terrorists, has instead completely backed Pakistan.
Turkey’s messaging and actions raises suspicion over Ankara backing terrorists and terror motives in Pakistan. Here are a list of Turkish actions that cast a shadow over its intentions:
- Turkey has, for long, supported Pakistan morally, economically, and militarily. It has been a strong supporter of Pakistan’s communal narrative of the Two-Nation Theory, as well as Islamabad and Rawalpindi’s narrative of Kashmir. Hours after the Pahalgam terror attack, which was carried out by The Resistance Front, a shadow arm of the UN-banned terror outfit Lashkar-e-Taiba, Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan met Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif – the only global leader to meet the Pakistani prime minister. After the meeting, Shehbaz Sharif expressed gratitude for Turkey’s “unwavering support” over Kashmir.
- Immediately after the Pahalgam terror attack, while the world stood in solidarity with India, Turkey reportedly sent a vast amount of military assets to Pakistan to help a worried Islamabad stock up against any action that India planned to take against the “terrorists and their backers”.
- Six Turkish military aircraft reportedly arrived in Pakistan allegedly with Turkey-made weapons and military equipment – reports of which have been denied by Ankara. Turkey could not deny the presence of its C-130 aircraft military aircraft as it was picked up by global air surveillance systems, but denied that there were any weapons sent. “A cargo plane from Turkiye landed in Pakistan for refuelling,” Ankara said in a statement.
- Days later, Turkey also sent one of its naval warship – the TCG Bykada (F-512), a corvette – to “brother-nation” Pakistan’s Karachi Port in an aggressive military posturing favouring Islamabad over New Delhi. Turkey called it a “routine port call”, while Pakistan called it a “goodwill visit”.
- After India carried out its ‘Operation Sindoor’, where precision missile strikes targeted terrorist infrastructure and terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), Turkey was the only country to side-up with the Pakistani narrative and even express its solidarity with Pakistan. According to a statement from the Turkish presidency, President Erdogan spoke with Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, conveying Turkey’s solidarity with Pakistan and Ankara’s support to Islamabad in handling of the situation after India’s Operation Sindoor. Describing India’s precision strikes against Pakistani terror camps as “martyrdom of numerous civilians”, President Erdogan said, “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.”
- On the intervening night of May 8 and 9, 300-400 Turkish-made drones launched by Pakistan violated the Indian airspace in order to “possibly test India’s air defence systems, and to gather intelligence,” the government said at the press conference today. “These provocative and escalatory actions taken by Pakistan last night were targeted at Indian cities, civilian infrastructure, as well as some military targets,” Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri said.
- Last year, Pakistan’s official purchase of Turkish arms and ammunition stood at $5.16 million. However in the last few years, Turkey has become Pakistan’s crucial defence partner. Besides the Asis Guard Songar drones mentioned today, Turkey has been providing Pakistan with its Bayraktar TB2 and Akinci drones for enhanced surveillance. Ankara is also providing Islamabad with advanced naval assets – four MILGEM-class corvettes, two of which – PNS Khyber and PNS Babur, were built in Istanbul and have been delivered, and two others – PNS Tariq and PNS Badr – are currently being built at the Karachi Shipyard
The growing alliance between Turkey and Pakistan, especially over incidents of terrorism and Islamabad’s Kashmir narrative, is being watched closely by India.