India's military is preparing a suitable retaliatory strategy in response to the Pahalgam attack. But these actions are only the beginning—a more complex challenge lies beneath them.
theprint.in
Turkey is set to be a big player in south Asia with Bangladesh too
Seemingly it is unconcerned by India , which will significantly upset the Indians
The battle tested Turkish weapons suggest India are not so confident in their own tactics
They are mad because Türkiye doesn't sell them weapons?!
From the same article:
Turkey’s ‘Asia Anew’ is harming India
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Take Pakistan, for instance. After Western nations ceased their weapons exports to Islamabad, Turkey became the only other significant supplier besides China. While China was already arming Pakistan extensively, Turkey stepped in to further bolster its defence capabilities.
What’s more troubling is that Turkey has completely banned the sale of military equipment to India. This policy, which had not been officially announced, came to light unintentionally during a Foreign Affairs Committee meeting on 10 July 2024. During the session, Mustafa Murat Seker, deputy head of Turkey’s top arms procurement body, the Presidency of Defence Industries (SSB), disclosed that Turkey had quietly enforced this restriction on India.
Unlike Chinese weapons, which are not battle-tested,
Turkish arms are modern, combat-proven, and highly advanced. They have been effectively deployed in various recent conflicts, including the Armenia-Azerbaijan war and the ongoing Russia-Ukraine war, making them far more credible and effective.
Like China, Turkey’s involvement also goes beyond conventional arms sales. Similar to China’s playbook of manipulating information,
Turkey has been covertly helping Pakistan build a sophisticated cyber force. This cyber unit is reportedly tasked with shaping narratives, influencing Muslim communities in Southeast Asia, conducting
digital attacks on the US and India, and shielding Pakistan’s leadership from international criticism. These operations are believed to have been underway since at least 2022.
Turkey’s influence is also growing in Bangladesh. In 2022—the year Dhaka signed a defence cooperation agreement with China—it also entered into a similar pact with Turkey.
This parallel deepening of ties with both Beijing and Ankara underscores a strategic shift in Bangladesh’s foreign policy posture.
While arms producers naturally seek markets for their products, what sets China and Turkey apart is the coordinated and aggressive nature of their support to India’s regional adversaries. The fact that they are not just selling weapons but also actively working to influence public opinion, destabilise India’s digital domain, and challenge its regional standing makes their actions a significant and evolving threat to India’s national security.
For a long-term strategy on Pakistan to work, India has to keep its guard up on the dirty games played by its backers and enablers.