Why did Turkish Airforce C-130 Hercules transport plane land in Karachi? Ankara responds to rumours

As tension mounts between India and Pakistan, the landing of a Turkish military aircraft in Pakistan sent tongues wagging, with rumours flying that Ankara was moving weapons to Islamabad to fight India. However, Ankara has cleared the air, stating that the plane landed just for refuelling.

 

A flight radar data showed a Turkish Air Force C-130 aircraft from Ankara landed in Karachi. Social media handles soon began to speculate that military aircraft was carrying "military cargo", hinting that Turkey could be supplying weapons to Islamabad against India. Many began speculating the "robust defence industry relationship" between Turkey and Pakistan and its effect on India.

 

However, Ankara's Presidency's Directorate of Communications denied the reports in a statement. The statement said the news was not true while slamming the disinformation in social media. 

 

"A cargo plane from Türkiye landed in Pakistan for refuelling. It then continued on its route," the statement said, adding that "speculative news made outside of the statements of authorised persons and institutions should not be relied upon."

 

Days before the Pahalgam incident, Pakistan's Prime Minister Shahbaz visited Turkey and met with President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan to "boost bilateral relations". Both countries have a strong bilateral defence and security cooperation in recent years.

 

However, Ankara last week condemned the Pahalgam attack and Erdogan called for restraint between India and Pakistan. "We want the escalating tensions between Pakistan and India to be de-escalated as soon as possible before they evolve into a more serious situation," Erdogan told reporters stating that Turkey did not want new conflicts in our region.

Middle East