Erdogan's South Asia Playbook: Why India Is Angry With Turkey
Turkey's military backing of Pakistan is drawing India's ire, prompting diplomatic pushback and blocking the X handle of Turkish state broadcaster TRT World on Wednesday.
Published : May 14, 2025 at 7:14 PM IST
|Updated : May 14, 2025 at 10:15 PM IST
New Delhi: In a move reflective of deepening geopolitical friction, India on Wednesday blocked access to the X handle of Turkish state broadcaster, TRT World, in what can be seen as a symbolic yet telling response to Ankara's growing military partnership with Islamabad.
From supplying advanced drones and warships to backing Pakistan diplomatically during regional flare-ups, such as during Operation Sindoor in the aftermath of the Pahalgam terror attack, Turkey's support has not only emboldened Pakistan's military posture but also inflamed tensions with New Delhi. The ban of TRT World marks a wider expression of India's anger over what it sees as Ankara's active complicity in destabilising South Asia's fragile security balance.
After India launched Operation Sindoor on the intervening nights of May 6 and 7, Pakistan launched a failed incursion into Indian airspace using around 300–350 Turkish-made drones — a clear indication of how Ankara's defence exports are being operationalised in real-time conflict zones. In fact, according to Indian media reports, Turkey also sent drone operators to Pakistan, two of whom died during the conflict. Additionally, Turkish C-130E Hercules aircraft reportedly delivered weapons shipments to Pakistan ahead of the offensive, suggesting direct logistical support from Ankara.
A cornerstone of the Turkey-Pakistan defence relationship is the $1.5-billion agreement for four MILGEM-class corvettes. Two of these warships are being built in Turkey, while the remaining two are being designed at Karachi Shipyard & Engineering Works. These ships are equipped with advanced systems and are intended to enhance Pakistan's naval capabilities in the Indian Ocean Region (IOR).
Turkey also helped build Pakistan's replenishment ship PNS Moawin. It assisted in upgrading Pakistan's Agosta 90-B submarines through a $350-million contract with Turkish firm STM, modernising critical systems such as sonar, command and control and radar. Turkey has played a pivotal role in enhancing the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) as Turkish Aerospace Industries (TAI) upgraded 41 F-16 fighter jets for Pakistan, improving avionics and extending their operational life. Additionally, Turkish firm ASELSAN supplied ASELPOD targeting systems for integration into Pakistan's JF-17 combat aircraft.
The Pakistan-Turkey military partnership is further reinforced through regular bilateral and multinational exercises like special forces drills focused on urban warfare and counterterrorism, joint naval exercises in the Indian Ocean and Arabian Sea and multinational air force exercises, with both countries participating to test combat coordination. These drills allow Turkish and Pakistani forces to align on strategy, tactics and systems, raising concerns in India about a growing interoperability that could be leveraged in future regional confrontations.
In 2023, Turkey's drone giant Baykar signed an agreement with Pakistan's National Aerospace Science and Technology Park (NASTP) for joint research and development. Apart from defence cooperation, Turkey has consistently supported Pakistan's stance on Kashmir, raising the issue in the UN and Organisation of Islamic Countries (OIC) forums, much to India's ire.
President Recep Tayyip Erdogan has made several statements framing Kashmir as a global Muslim issue, positioning himself as a leader of the Islamic world. In the latest such instance, Erdogan publicly backed Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif, lauding Pakistan's "restraint" and calling for an "international investigation" into the Pahalgam terror attack. This echoed Pakistan's narrative and sharply diverged from India's position.
India views Turkey's defence engagement with Pakistan as strategically destabilising, as Turkish weapons and tactical platforms are being used directly in operations against India. Ankara's vocal support for Kashmir undermines India's sovereignty and territorial integrity. India sees the Turkey-Pakistan nexus as attempting to offset India's regional military superiority through asymmetric and proxy capabilities. India's decision to block TRT World's X handle can be seen as a calculated pushback. TRT World had amplified Pakistan's narrative in the days after the Pahalgam terror attack, airing footage of Turkish drones in operation and interviews with Pakistani officials justifying their actions.
According to R Dayakar, former Indian ambassador to Iraq and Jordan, who also served in the West Asia desk of the Ministry of External Affairs, Turkey's support for Pakistan has been historical. "The Mughal emperors paid tributes to Turkish caliphs for centuries. After Kemal Atatürk founded the modern Republic of Turkey, the caliphate was abolished. But, after Pakistan was born, Turkey saw Pakistan as a successor state of the Mughal empire," Dayakar told ETV Bharat.
He further stated that after Kemal Atatürk's demise, Kemalism prevailed, and all political parties in Turkey followed this political ideology. Kemalism is characterised by six key principles: republicanism, nationalism, populism, laicism, statism, and revolutionism, aimed at establishing a modern, secular republic in Turkey. "During the Cold War, the Turkey-Pakistan bond became stronger. Pakistan supports Turkey on the Cyprus and Greece issues, while Ankara supports Islamabad on the Kashmir issue. Turkey supported Pakistan during the 1965 and 1971 wars with India," Dayakar said.
However, now, according to the former diplomat, Kemalism is in retreat under Erdogan. "Erdogan is reviving the Islamic roots of Turkey and going towards a caliphate. There is a resurgence of Islamic identity," Dayakar said.
According to Abhinav Pandya, founder, director and CEO of the Usanas Foundation think tank, the blocking of TRT World's X handle by India was in the pipeline for a long time. "I have been following their activities since 2017. After the abrogation of Article 370 in Jammu and Kashmir, TRT World amplified Pakistan's narrative. The blocking of their X handle is a welcome step," Pandya said.
Turkey’s growing role as a defence benefactor and ideological ally of Pakistan can be seen as reshaping the strategic map of South Asia. While Ankara may frame its involvement as a commercial or religious solidarity gesture, India sees a deliberate effort to militarise and internationalise South Asia's conflicts. The TRT World ban is just the tip of a broader recalibration India may undertake to counter what it now sees as an emerging Ankara-Islamabad axis hostile to its interests.
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