Turkey-Pakistan military nexus deepens amid tensions with India, fueled by drones, defense deals, what will Ankara do next?

When Indian defence experts found Turkish-made Asisguard Songar drones being used against India in a war-like situation with Pakistan, they were not shocked. Turkey-based defence company Asisguard designed and manufactured it and supplied it to the Turkish Air Force in 2020. Ankara supplied it to Pakistan soon after. However, international analysts believe it was just a symbol of the evolving Turkey-Pakistan alliance. This became evident when an IC-130 plane of the Turkish Air Force landed in Pakistan on April 27 and a Turkish Navy anti-submarine corvette docked at Karachi port on May 2 amid escalating tension between Pakistan and Turkey. 

Pakistan has been a source of arms, ammunition, and defence hardware. Turkey not only supplied Pakistan its corvettes under the MILGEM project but also acquired Pakistani Super Mushshak trainers. Earlier, Ankara supplied Pakistan with Bayraktar drones. 

(US-made F-16 fighter jet in Pakistan)

Upgradation of Pakistan's F-16

Turkey also signed a $75 million deal to upgrade 41 of Pakistan's F-16 fighter jets. It also supplied advanced targeting pods for Pakistan’s JF-17 jets and an electronic warfare training range. Turkish drone manufacturer Baykar signed a deal with Pakistan’s National Aerospace Science and Technology Park in 2023 to jointly develop UAVs. Turkey is most likely to back Pakistan and supply more military hardware. 

Ummah Politics

Analysts suggest Ankara is helping Pakistan, intending to boost its position in the Organisation of Islamic Cooperation, or the OIC. The 57-member bloc is dominated by Saudi Arabia and Iran. Turkey wants to bolster its position by claiming that it has supported an Islamic nation. After the rise of Recep Tayyip Erdogan, Turkey moved swiftly towards radical Islam. The Turkish president now nurtures the ambition of becoming the head of the Umma, or the Islamic World. The Pahalgam attack has given him this opportunity.

(Pakistan PM Shehbaz Sharif with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan)

How did Turkey-Pakistan ties begin?

Turkey also has geopolitical interests in Pakistan. Islamabad supported Ankara when the Cyprus crisis erupted in 1974 after the Cypriot National Guard staged a coup d'etat sponsored by the Greek military junta. The Turkish military invaded the island, and the Turkish Cypriot leadership later declared independence as the Turkish Republic of Northern Cyprus. This was the first time the two countries had moved closer. 

Saudi Arabia spoils show

This relationship evolved further after Saudi Arabia tried to emerge as a leader of the Muslim countries of the Ummah. AS Riyadh joined hands with the United Arab Emirates, Indonesia and Malaysia joined Ankara and Qatar. The situation came to a crisis when a parallel meeting of Islamic countries was organized in Kuala Lumpur in 2022 and Imran Khan was invited. He cancelled his trip at the last moment under the pressure of Saudi Arabia. This is one of the reasons Riyadh has moved towards India slowly and gradually and supported the Indian narrative on Jammu and Kashmir despite being an Islamic country.

(Saudi Arabia Crown Prince Muhammad Bin Salman with PM Narendra Modi)

Battlelines on Kashmir 

When the battle lines were drawn on the issue of Jammu and Kashmir, Turkey decided to join Pakistan. It advocates for a resolution of the question of Jammu and Kashmir according to the UN resolutions. The UN resolution talks about the right to self-determination and a plebiscite. Besides defence and geopolitical ties, the two countries have also developed economic relations. Bilateral trade reached around $1 billion in 2024, and the two countries aim to reach $5 billion soon. While Turkey exports machinery and textiles to Pakistan, it imports agricultural products and leather goods.

As there is a war-like situation between India and Pakistan, there seems to be no reason why President Recep Tayyip Erdogan may backtrack. It is most likely that Ankara may join Islamabad openly.

Operation Dost

After Turkey suffered a devastating earthquake on February 6, 2023, India launched Operation Dost. It sent 5 C-17 IAF aircraft to Ankara with specialised equipment, relief material amounting to more than 135 tons, and 250 personnel. Three self-sustained teams of the National Disaster Response Force (NDRF), numbering more than 150 specially trained personnel and dog squads, were sent. 

However, soon after that, Turkey supplied Pakistan with drones that landed on Indian soil.