Amid the escalating tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack, several reports surfaced claiming that Turkey provided arms to Pakistan. However, the Turkish officials have later refuted the reports.
Amid escalating tensions between India and Pakistan over the Pahalgam terror attack, reports surfaced claiming that Turkey is providing arms and ammunition to Pakistan. The reports said that a Turkish C-130E Hercules landed in Karachi to allegedly deliver military equipment. The report went viral, with some media reports claiming that almost six C-130Es landed in Pakistan.
However, Ankara has rejected the claims, as the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications said that a cargo plane from Turkey landed in Pakistan for solely refuelling purposes, according to a report by Türkiye Today. The Turkish authorities said in a post on social media that the claims circulating in some media outlets about ‘Türkiye sending six planes full of weapons to Pakistan are not true’.
Turkey-Pakistan relations
Notably, Pakistan and Turkey are known to be long-standing allies and strategic partners. Both Islamabad and Ankara maintain a tradition of regular high-level exchanges, reflecting the strong ties between the two nations.
The two countries have a high-level forum in the form of the High-Level Strategic Cooperation Council (HLSCC) for cooperation and coordination on various issues of mutual interest.
Established in 2009, HLSCC is the highest decision-making forum between the two countries, guiding bilateral relations through joint standing committees covering trade, investment, defence, energy, agriculture, health and education.
India takes tough stance on Pakistan
Following the terror attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam, the ties between India and Pakistan have deteriorated further, with both nations taking diplomatic measures and countermeasures. India decided to hold the Indus Water Treaty in abeyance, asked all Pakistani nationals to head back to their country, and designated the military advisors in the Pakistani Embassy in New Delhi as persona non grata.
Pakistan countered by closing its airspace for all Indian airlines, blocking the Wagah border, suspending all trade with India and revisiting the Simla agreement.
Moreover, the Indian political leadership has vowed strong retaliation for the terrorist attacks in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam.
In his first public statement after the Pahalgam attacks, PM Modi conveyed India’s firm resolve to fight terrorism, as he said, “India will identify, track, and punish every terrorist and their backers. We will pursue them to the ends of the earth.”
(With inputs from AP)