India has issued a strong and unequivocal message to Turkey in response to Ankara’s recent support for Pakistan, particularly following the terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. The Government of India has made it clear that the foundation of bilateral relations must be mutual respect and sensitivity to each other's core concerns.

At a press briefing, External Affairs Ministry spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal stated that India expects Turkey to use its influence to urge Pakistan to end its support for cross-border terrorism and to take credible, verifiable action against the terror infrastructure that Islamabad and Rawalpindi have harboured for decades.

This stern communication comes in the context of Turkey’s increasing alignment with Pakistan, which has included not only ideological and moral support but also the provision of military hardware. During the recent escalation, Turkey reportedly supplied Pakistan with hundreds of drones, which were used in cross-border military actions targeting both civilian and military areas across a wide stretch of India’s western border.

Furthermore, Turkey refrained from condemning the Pahalgam terror attack, carried out by Pakistan-linked militants, and instead expressed solidarity with Pakistan after India’s retaliatory strikes against terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

India’s Operation Sindoor, a response to the Pahalgam attack, brought Turkey’s role into sharper focus, especially as Turkish military assets, including drones and possibly arms shipments, were implicated in Pakistan’s actions. Turkey’s President Recep Tayyip Erdogan further reinforced Ankara’s support for Pakistan by sending a message of condolence and solidarity to Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif after India’s counter-terror operations.

The Indian government has emphasized that such actions undermine the basis for constructive bilateral ties, reiterating that “relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other's concerns”. India has called on Turkey to dissuade Pakistan from using terrorism as an instrument of state policy and to ensure that credible, verifiable steps are taken to dismantle the terror ecosystem that has persisted for decades.

In response to Turkey’s stance, there has been a surge of anti-Turkey sentiment within India. Activists and citizens have called for a boycott of Turkish goods and services, discouraged travel to Turkey, and urged filmmakers to avoid shooting in the country. Social media campaigns and public appeals reflect a growing demand for a recalibration of India-Turkey relations unless Ankara reconsiders its support for Pakistan, particularly on issues related to terrorism and Kashmir.

India’s message to Turkey is clear: bilateral relations can only progress if both nations respect each other's core concerns, and that means Turkey must play a constructive role in urging Pakistan to abandon its support for cross-border terrorism and take tangible action against the entrenched terror infrastructure.

Agencies