Turkey betrays Pakistan, shatters Shehbaz Sharif’s ‘Islamic NATO’ dream, highlights weaknesses Munir army, Erdogan government says…

New Delhi: The Shehbaz Sharif-led Pakistani government has witnessed a major setback from its close ally Turkey. According to the reports, Ankara said that it will not be part of any multilateral defense agreement with Saudi Arabia and Pakistan. It is important to note that Pakistan has recently signed a defense agreement with Saudi Arabia, and at that time it was being speculated that countries like Turkey and Azerbaijan might soon join it as well. Turkey has now said that the ongoing talks with both countries are limited strictly to strategic and bilateral cooperation.

As per news agency AFP, Turkish defense officials have made clear that the Erdoğan government is neither part of nor considering any defense pact with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. Turkey’s current relations with both countries are aimed only at fulfilling strategic objectives.

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According to a senior Turkish military source, despite Pakistan’s request, Turkey is not interested in any multilateral mutual defence agreement with Pakistan and Saudi Arabia. The source also said that Saudi Arabia itself is not in favour of any multilateral arrangement and prefers only bilateral defence agreements.

A senior Turkish defence official said, “Pakistan’s security forces are already under extreme pressure,” and this reality limits its ability to shoulder responsibilities under any mutual defence agreement.

Here are some of the key details:

• Turkey has expressed concern over the condition of the Pakistani army, which is facing near–civil war–like situations along with challenges on three fronts.
• Turkish security sources pointed to Pakistan’s limited military resources
• Turkey has also noted that Pakistan is already active on three borders—India(BHARAT), Afghanistan, and Iran—while also dealing with internal challenges.
• The recent deal with Saudi Arabia has further divided the Pakistani army.
• All these factors have affected its operational capability.
• Turkish officials have said that a strong economy is the foundation of a strong military.

According to sources, the armed forces of both countries lack the capacity to invest in defence modernisation at the level of Saudi Arabia, making a trilateral defence alliance impractical. However, while ruling out the possibility of a defence pact, Turkey emphasized that its defence ties with Pakistan remain strong.