Will Turkey Urge Pakistan to Cease Support for Cross-Border Terrorism?

New Delhi, May 22 (NationPress) India expressed its anticipation that Turkey will firmly encourage Pakistan to cease its support for cross-border terrorism and implement credible and verifiable measures against the terror infrastructure it has nurtured over the years.

"We expect Turkey to strongly advocate for Pakistan to end its support to cross-border terrorism and take credible and verifiable actions against the terror ecosystem it has harboured for decades. Relations are built on the basis of sensitivities to each other’s concerns," stated Randhir Jaiswal, spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs (MEA), during a weekly media briefing in New Delhi.

Under the leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey has openly supported Pakistan's aggressive stance and military response to India's decisive Operation Sindoor, which targeted Pakistani terror infrastructure.

Recently, in a robust retaliatory action, the Bureau of Civil Aviation Security (BCAS) revoked the security clearance of Celebi Airport Services India Pvt Ltd, which provides ground handling services at nine airports, prioritising national security.

This decision followed Turkey's backing of Islamabad and its condemnation of India’s Operation Sindoor, which was initiated in response to the killing of 26 innocent individuals in the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack.

The drones, launched by Pakistan targeting Indian regions and military installations earlier this month, were successfully intercepted by India's air defence systems and were reportedly sourced from Turkey.

"This (Celebi) matter has been discussed with the Turkish Embassy here and our Ministry of External Affairs. However, I understand that this particular decision was taken by the Civil Aviation Security, as they are mandated to handle security issues," Jaiswal noted on Thursday.

During Erdogan's regime, Turkey has experienced a significant shift from a relatively secular, pro-Western democracy towards Islamist populism. Central to this shift has been Erdogan’s strategic manipulation of media, both domestically and internationally.

Ankara’s military, diplomatic, and media support to Islamabad has escalated tensions in recent weeks.

Erdogan met with Pakistan's Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif just hours after the Pahalgam attack, carried out by The Resistance Front (TRF), an affiliate of the Pakistan-based Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT).

Following Operation Sindoor, Erdogan vocally condemned India's air strikes, reaffirming solidarity with Pakistan during a conversation with Sharif.

Earlier, six Turkish C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft, believed to be carrying an arms shipment, arrived at Karachi airport on April 27 and May 2. Additionally, a Turkish warship, TCG Buyukada (F-512), part of the Ada-class ASW corvettes of the Turkish Navy, also docked in Karachi.