Is Turkey at its anti-India moves again?

Days after several media reports suggested Turkey has delivered six planeloads of weapons to Pakistan, the arrival of a Turkish naval vessel in Karachi has sparked concerns in India, highlighting Ankara’s increasingly close defence ties with Islamabad.

Although Turkey denied supplying weapons to Pakistan, the docking of the vessel in Pakistan’s port city has added to growing unease in New Delhi.

According to multiple media report, Turkish C-130 Hercules transport planes carrying military cargo reportedly landed in Pakistan last month. The development came at a time when India has vowed a harsh response to the Pahalgam terror attack, which claimed 26 lives, mostly tourists.

“A cargo plane from Turkiye landed in Pakistan for refuelling. It then continued on its route. Speculative news made outside of statements of authorised persons and institutions should not be relied upon,” Daily Sabah quoted the Presidency’s Directorate of Communications as saying.

The aircraft in question was spotted flying over the Arabian Sea on April 28, sparking speculation that it was part of a last-minute arms delivery from one of Islamabad’s key allies.

The theory gained traction after flight tracking data from open-source intelligence (OSINT) sources surfaced online.

However, Ankara dismissed the claims, insisting the landing was part of a routine operation.

Meanwhile, the presence of a Turkish naval vessel in Karachi, details of which remain scarce, is being interpreted by analysts as part of a growing pattern of deepening military ties between Turkey and Pakistan.

Turkey is fast emerging as the second-largest supplier of arms to Pakistan, trailing only China, a development that has not gone unnoticed in New Delhi.

Ankara has maintained that it supports peace in the region, with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan recently calling for “de-escalation” between India and Pakistan.

“We want the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India to be de-escalated as soon as possible, before they evolve into a more serious situation,” said Erdogan in a statement.

However, Turkey’s actions — particularly on defence cooperation — appear to contradict those words.

Turkey and Pakistan have maintained a long-standing strategic partnership, with defence cooperation forming a key pillar of their bilateral ties.

In 2021, the two countries signed an agreement to expand collaboration through joint arms production. Turkey has since emerged as Pakistan’s second-largest arms supplier after China.

According to Eurasian Times, citing the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, 10% of Turkey’s total arms exports between 2020 and 2024 were directed to Pakistan.

Reports also suggest that the two countries are working together to establish a joint facility for manufacturing Turkish-designed fighter jets. Notably, Turkey was the sole member among the 39 states of the Financial Action Task Force (FATF) to support Pakistan’s removal from the grey list in 2020.

Their alliance extends beyond defence, with Turkey consistently advocating for Pakistan’s position on Kashmir, while Islamabad has reciprocated by backing Ankara’s claims on Cyprus.

The Turkish government has denied any hostile intent, but its expanding defense ties with Pakistan and repeated references to the Kashmir issue at international forums have fueled skepticism in India.

With Ankara’s geopolitical ambitions growing and Pakistan leaning heavily on military partnerships, observers warn that this could further strain already frosty India-Turkey relations.

Amid growing tensions, former Indian foreign secretary Kanwal Sibal suggested suspending flights between India and Turkey as reports of Turkish military cargo aircraft landing in Pakistan sparked outrage across Indian strategic circles.

Voicing his concerns on X, Sibal said, “We can consider suspending our flights to Turkey and Turkish flights to India for the time being.”

We can consider suspending our flights to Turkey and Turkish flights to India for the time being. https://t.co/MCfDk0PQZZ

— Kanwal Sibal (@KanwalSibal) April 28, 2025

Noted journalist Vikram Chandra questioned why Indians continue to use Istanbul as a transit point and suggested India should instead build relations with Turkey’s key regional rival Greece

“I fail to understand why Indians travel to Europe via Istanbul! Along with China, Turkey is the one solid and constant supporter of Pakistan – and always has been. India should instead build relations with Turkey’s key regional rival Greece. It’s strange that there are so many direct flights to Istanbul and none to Athens,” Business Today quoted Chandra as saying.

Security analyst Sushant Sareen warned that India was not learning from history.

“India’s friends and enemies are identifying themselves. China, Turkey, Azerbaijan are clearly on the Paki side. Ideally, there should be costs for doing this but India will reward them with fatter trade deals and defence contracts; Israel is probably the only country with India,” Sareen posted.

India’s friends and enemies are identifying themselves. China, Turkey, Azerbaijan are clearly on the Paki side. Ideally, there should be costs for doing this but India will reward them with fatter trade deals and defence contracts; Israel is probably the only country with India.…

— sushant sareen (@sushantsareen) April 28, 2025

He said every other country – US, EU, UK, even Russia, were hedging.

“But yeah Vasudhaiva Kutumbakam. Basically we are a people who refuse to learn from history.”

Several commentators called for a boycott of Turkish tourism and airlines.

Pawan Durani wrote, “Six military planes allegedly carrying missiles have been sent by Turkey to Pakistan. How many shameless Indians are gonna travel to Turkey for holidays?”

Durani also reminded Indians about the goodwill extended to Turkey after its devastating earthquake in 2023. “How many of you remember ‘Operation Dost’, where within one hour of earthquake in Turkey, India was the first country to send relief teams. Snakes…” he posted.

Geopolitical commentator and author Swasti Rao said it was important that India notices Turkey’s role.

“Good to see that Turkish C130 Hercules transport aircraft with Military Cargo landing in Pakistan is being noticed in India. Turkey has been arming Pakistan, with an openly anti-India rhetoric,” Rao wrote on X.

She added, “We usually only discuss #China.”

Rao also flagged that Turkey was arming Bangladesh, calling the situation “worrying” and tagging the Prime Minister’s Office and Defence Ministry.

With inputs from agencies