New Delhi:
In a strong message to Turkey over its support to Pakistan in recent times, the Government of India said on Thursday that New Delhi expects Ankara to encourage Pakistan to address the problem of cross-border terrorism emanating from it.
New Delhi also asked Turkey to dissuade Pakistan from using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem that Islamabad and Rawalpindi have harboured for decades.
As ties between India and Turkey have taken a hit with Ankara’s tilt towards Pakistan after the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, India made it clear that relations between two countries are built on mutual respect and sensitivities 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.
300-400 drones used by Pakistan in its military escalation against India were mostly provided by Turkey. These drones targeted 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 had said in its Op Sindoor press briefing.
In addition to this, Turkey stood in solidarity with Pakistan when India eliminated more than 100 terrorists taking shelter in terror camps destroyed by India in its precision missile strikes on terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir. At the same time, Turkey did not condemn the Pahalgam terror attack, which was carried out by Pakistan-linked terrorists associated with The Resistance Front – an offshoot of the UN-banned Lashkar-e-Taiba.
Turkey has, for long, backed Pakistan in its invasion and illegal occupation of Indian territory in Jammu and Kashmir.
Turkey also indulged in military posturing during Operation Sindoor by sending its warship to Karachi Port, which it called a “routine port call”. Ankara also reportedly sent military aircraft containing arms and weapons to aid Pakistan in its misadventure against India – reports that Trukey has denied, saying the aircraft landed for refuelling purposes.
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.”
