Beijing, Ankara hail PAF’s combat edge amid tensions with India

ISLAMABAD: In a rare show of coordinated praise, senior defence officials from China and Turkiye have commended the combat readiness and operational capability of the Pakistan Air Force following last month’s four-day conflict with India, a development seen in Islamabad as quiet validation of its evolving airpower doctrine.

In back-to-back high-level visits to Air Headquarters in Islamabad this week, top officials from the People’s Liberation Army Air Force (PLAAF) and the Turkish ministry of defence hailed PAF’s “decisive” response and “battle-proven” performance during the May clashes.


China’s Chief of Air Staff, Lt Gen Wang Gang, met PAF chief Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu on Tuesday and described Pakistan’s aerial actions as “a textbook example of precision, discipline and courage in the face of unprovoked aggression”. He praised PAF’s integration of multi-domain operations (MDOs), calling it a “hallmark of modern air warfare”, and expressed interest in adopting elements of PAF’s doctrine for the PLAAF.

A day later, on Wednesday, Turkiye defence minister Yaşar Güler offered similar praise. Calling the PAF’s performance “exceptional”, Güler lauded Sidhu’s “insightful leadership” and highlighted PAF’s role in the “resolute defence of national sovereignty”. He also proposed expanded cooperation in training, unmanned aerial systems, and disruptive technologies.

Güler’s visit coincided with the arrival of Turkiye foreign minister Hakan Fidan on Wednesday, signalling coordinated diplomatic and military outreach as Pakistan seeks to shore up support from key allies.

Neither China nor Turkiye elaborated on the details of the May conflict — downplayed by Islamabad and denied outright by New Delhi — but both echoed Pakistan’s military narrative, offering a diplomatic boost as Islamabad contends with regional isolation and growing India-West defence ties.

Both delegations were briefed on PAF’s restructured posture, including its focus on AI-driven targeting and cyber-electronic warfare. PLAAF officials reportedly showed strong interest in the JF-17 Block III, a jointly developed fighter jet now equipped with AESA (active electronically scanned array) radar and advanced avionics.

The Turkish side proposed joint working groups to fast-track industry-to-industry ties — part of Ankara’s push to expand its defence footprint in South Asia amid rising collaboration with Pakistan on drones, pilot training, and aerospace development.

The rare twin endorsements from two of Pakistan’s closest allies reflect a shifting regional balance, with China and Turkiye increasingly positioning themselves as strategic counterweights to India’s deepening ties with the US, France and Israel.

While India denies any aerial losses, the external praise for PAF suggests otherwise, raising questions about whether these visits signal deeper strategic alignment or simply calculated shows of support.

Islamabad and Ankara on Wednesday agreed to boost their cooperation in a range of sectors, including defence, trade, energy and infrastructure, aiming to enhance bilateral trade volume to $5 billion. This was agreed during talks between Fidan and Guler with Pakistan foreign minister Ishaq Dar here. “Pakistan would like to benefit from Turkiye’s expertise and experiences in this (defence) field,” Dar said. “We are actively engaged in different activities, including capacity building and counterterrorism,” Dar said, describing Turkiye as a "trusted friend" and a "reliable brother”. "We are pursuing the establishment of a Special Economic Zone dedicated to Turkish entrepreneurs at Karachi,” Dar said. He also mentioned finalising the revival of the Istanbul-Tehran-Islamabad train.