Barely a year after Bharat extended its hand of friendship during Turkey’s hour of crisis, sending immediate earthquake relief under “Operation Dost,” Turkey has repaid that generosity with betrayal. Shocking reports have confirmed that six Turkish C-130 Hercules military aircraft carrying weapons and military supplies landed in Pakistan on April 27, providing direct military support to Islamabad — Bharat’s arch-adversary.
This latest development has sent a wave of anger across Bharat, with leading security experts, geopolitical commentators, and thousands of concerned citizens calling for an immediate and complete boycott of Turkish tourism, airlines, and products.
In February 2023, when a devastating earthquake struck Turkey, Bharat was among the very first nations to mobilise and dispatch relief teams. Within hours of the calamity, Indian Air Force C-17 Globemaster aircrafts flew into Adana and Gaziantep carrying tons of relief material, NDRF rescue teams, medical supplies, field hospitals, and technical experts.
“Operation Dost” meaning “Friend” symbolised Bharat’s commitment to stand by Turkey in its darkest moment. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had personally conveyed condolences and support to the Turkish leadership.
However, what has followed since is a series of anti-Bharat actions by Turkey, culminating now in direct military assistance to Pakistan — a clear signal that Ankara has firmly placed itself within the China-Pakistan nexus openly hostile to Bharat’s national interests.
This is not an isolated incident. Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan has a long record of interfering in Bharat’s internal affairs, especially on the issue of Kashmir:
- In 2020, Erdoğan raised Kashmir at the United Nations General Assembly, parroting Pakistani talking points.
- Turkey’s religious and cultural institutions have been found supporting Islamist networks that run anti-Bharat campaigns globally.
- Turkish NGOs have been suspected of covertly funding radical elements in South Asia.
This blatant hostility continues despite Bharat having no direct conflict with Turkey historically unlike Bharat’s long-standing adversarial relationship with Pakistan and China.
Turkey’s military cooperation with Pakistan is not new but has grown significantly in recent years. Turkey has:
- Supplied advanced drones (e.g., Bayraktar TB2 variants) to Pakistan.
- Provided upgrades for Pakistani naval frigates and submarines.
- Collaborated on defense training and intelligence sharing.
Now, actively ferrying weapons into Pakistan at a time of rising tensions with Bharat following terror attacks like the one in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir.
Meanwhile, China has once again thrown its weight behind Pakistan, calling for a “swift and fair” investigation into the Pahalgam attack, while reaffirming support for Pakistan’s “sovereignty and security interests” — another thinly veiled jab at Bharat.
