India has always extended a hand of friendship across continents, across faiths, across ideologies. From standing by the Ottoman Empire during the Khilafat movement to cooperating with modern Turkey in trade, technology, education and cultural exchanges, India believed in longterm goodwill. But today, it finds itself betrayed by a country it once supported during its most critical moment in history. Turkey, under the authoritarian leadership of President Recep Tayyip Erdo an, has chosen to side with Pakistan not just diplomatically, but militarily, feeding New Delhi’s enemies with deadly drones and rhetoric, revealing Ankara’s dangerous ambitions to become the ideological capital of a pan-Islamist world order – even at the cost of peace in South Asia.

The most recent Indo-Pak tensions, especially after Pakistan’s proxy aggressions in Kashmir and elsewhere, have seen Turkey abandon any pretence of neutrality. Turkish-made drones, notably the Bayraktar TB2 — manufactured by Baykar Technologies, whose CEO Selçuk Bayraktar is none other than Erdo an’s son-in-law — are now in Pakistan’s hands. These drones are not for humanitarian use or border surveillance. They are war machines, tested in Libya, Syria, and Armenia, and now weaponized against Indian interests. It is no coincidence that the Pakistani military, flush with Chinese and now Turkish support, is emboldened in its provocative acts across the LoC. India is no longer watching silently. Turkish firms operating in India are now facing a quiet but firm rollback.

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The government is reportedly targeting those firms that have indirect connections with the Turkish ruling family. One such firm, closely linked to the Baykar CEO, had ongoing collaborations with Indian industries. But post the revelations about Ankara’s defence dealings with Islamabad, New Delhi is beginning to sever ties. This is not just about foreign policy; this is about national security. The diplomatic frost has started touching academia as well. Several Indian universities, including Jamia Millia Islamia and Jawaharlal Nehru University, have now either cancelled or stalled their memorandums of understanding (MoUs) with Turkish educational institutions. What began as cultural and academic exchanges have now turned into cautionary tales of misplaced trust.

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It is becoming increasingly clear that Turkish academia, like many other arms of the state, is influenced – if not controlled – by the ideological machinery of Erdo an’s administration. India cannot........

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