At an all-time low

Indian fashion websites removed numerous Turkish apparel brands from their sites. Travel companies also suspended bookings of flights, hotels and holiday packages to Türkiye in solidarity with India's national interest

- SHANTANU MUKHARJI

Against the backdrop of fast-deteriorating relations between India and Türkiye, particularly in the wake of recent Indo-Pak military escalation, President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan held talks with Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif in Istanbul on May 25 aimed at increasing solidarity in education, intelligence sharing and technological support. Türkiye President's talks with his Pakistani counterpart, weeks after a military conflict between Islamabad and New Delhi, assume immense geopolitical significance. The recently held meeting in Istanbul comes as Ankara faces a strong backlash from India over its supply of weapons to Islamabad during the recent conflict.

Recently, Erdoğan had openly expressed solidarity with Pakistan over India's attacks across nine sites in Pakistan as a retaliatory measure following the Pahalgam terror attack which left 26 innocents dead. Earlier, Türkiye had warned of a risk of an all-out war between India and Pakistan, while expressing support for Islamabad's request for an international inquiry into the Pahalgam attack. Türkiye and Pakistan have long had close economic and military ties. In February, Erdoğan visited Islamabad, during which the two countries signed 24 cooperation agreements to bolster bilateral ties. We see a design and a pattern in the consistent Türkiye interest in meddling in bilateral matters of India and Pakistan and walking the extra mile to further befriend Pakistan.