Following India’s public accusations that China and Turkey played active roles in supporting Pakistan during the May border conflict, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has firmly denied any direct military involvement from these countries, asserting that Pakistan “fought and won the battle on its own”.
The controversy began after Indian Deputy Chief of Army Staff Lt. Gen. Rahul R Singh stated that China provided Pakistan with live satellite intelligence, giving real-time updates on key Indian military positions during the four-day clash in May.
Singh also alleged that Turkey supplied Bayraktar drones, other unmanned aerial vehicles, and technical training to Pakistan, further strengthening Islamabad’s operational capabilities.
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These claims were made in the context of Operation Sindoor, which followed a deadly attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir—an incident India blamed on Pakistan, leading to a sharp escalation between the nuclear-armed neighbours.
In response, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif rejected these allegations as “baseless”, characterising them as a “desperate attempt to pacify India’s domestic audience after defeat.” He insisted that Pakistani forces conducted all military operations independently, though he acknowledged that Pakistan received diplomatic support from both China and Turkey during the crisis.
Asif argued that intelligence sharing between allied nations is standard practice, particularly when mutual security interests align, but maintained that this did not amount to foreign participation in combat.
He drew parallels to arms purchases, noting that buying weapons from a country does not make it a party to the conflict—just as India uses French Rafale jets and Pakistan operates French submarines.
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On the diplomatic front, Asif emphasised that “the whole world supported us diplomatically, only Israel stood with India,” highlighting Pakistan’s perceived international backing and India’s relative isolation except for Israeli support. He reiterated that while China and Turkey provided diplomatic and moral support, there was no direct battlefield involvement from either country.
Indian sources, however, maintain that China’s support went beyond diplomacy, involving real-time intelligence sharing and coordination during the conflict.
Indian military officials cited evidence from Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) level talks, where Pakistani representatives appeared to have advance knowledge of Indian deployments, allegedly due to Chinese inputs.
India has also pointed to the significant presence of Chinese military hardware in Pakistan’s arsenal as evidence of deepening strategic ties.
Pakistan officially denies any foreign military intervention during the May conflict, admitting only to diplomatic support from allies, while India continues to assert that both China and Turkey played substantive, behind-the-scenes roles in supporting Pakistan during the confrontation.
Based On MoneyControl Report
Agencies
