China helped Pakistan with ‘live inputs' in conflict with India, Indian Army deputy chief says
The nuclear-armed rivals used missiles, drones and artillery fire during the four-day fighting — their worst in decades — triggered by an April attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Pakistan has denied involvement in the April attack.
India fought two adversaries during the conflict, with Pakistan being the 'front face' while China provided 'all possible support,' Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh said at a defense industry event in New Delhi.
'When the DGMO (director general of military operations) level talks were going on, Pakistan ... said that we know that your such and such important vector is primed and it is ready for action ... he was getting live inputs from China,' he said.
Singh did not elaborate on how India knew about the live inputs from China.
The Chinese foreign and defense ministries, and Pakistan army's public relations wing did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.
India's relationship with China was strained after a 2020 border clash that sparked a four-year military standoff, but tensions began to ease after the countries reached a pact to step back in October.
India had earlier said that although Pakistan is closely allied with China, there was no sign of any actual help from Beijing during the conflict.
Regarding the possibility of China providing satellite imagery or other real-time intelligence, India's chief of defense staff had said such imagery was commercially available and could have been procured from China or elsewhere.
Pakistani officials have previously dismissed allegations of receiving active support from China in the conflict, but have not commented specifically on whether Beijing gave any satellite and radar help during the fighting.
Beijing, which welcomed the ceasefire in May, has helped Pakistan's struggling economy with investments and financial support since 2013.
The Chinese foreign minister also vowed support to Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity when he met his Pakistani counterpart days after the ceasefire.
Singh said that Turkiye also provided key support to Pakistan during the fighting, equipping it with Bayraktar and 'numerous other' drones, and 'trained individuals.'
Ankara has strong ties with Islamabad, and had expressed solidarity with it during the clash, prompting Indians to boycott everything from Turkish coffee to holidays in the country.
Turkiye's defense ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
Arab News
an hour ago
- Arab News
Trump says Putin understands US sanctions may be coming
WASHINGTON: US President Donald Trump said on Friday that he has discussed sanctions with Russian President Vladimir Putin, who is worried about them and understands they might be forthcoming. Trump, who spoke on Friday with Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelensky, also told reporters aboard Air Force One that he had discussed the possibility of sending Patriot air defense missiles to Kyiv. Trump spoke with Zelensky a day Russia stepped up its attack on Ukraine, sending waves of drones and missiles on Kyiv overnight in what Ukrainian officials described as the largest aerial assault since Russia's invasion began more than three years ago. One person was killed and at least 26 others, including a child, were wounded. Asked Friday night by reporters about the call, Trump said, 'We had a very good call, I think.' The two leaders how Ukrainian air defenses might be strengthened, possible joint weapons production between the US and Ukraine, and broader US-led efforts to end the war with Russia, according to a statement by Zelenksy. When asked about finding a way to end the fighting, Trump said: 'I don't know. I can't tell you whether or not that's going to happen.' The US has paused some shipments of military aid to Ukraine, including crucial air defense missiles. Ukraine's main European backers are considering how they can help pick up the slack. Zelensky says plans are afoot to build up Ukraine's domestic arms industry, but scaling up will take time. 'I'm very disappointed' The attack on Kyiv began the same day a phone call took place between Trump and Russian President Vladimir Putin. Asked if he made any progress during his call with Putin on a deal to end the fighting in Ukraine, Trump said: 'No, I didn't make any progress with him today at all.' 'I'm very disappointed with the conversation I had today with President Putin because I don't think he's there. I don't think he's looking to stop (the fighting), and that's too bad,' Trump said. According to Yuri Ushakov, Putin's foreign affairs adviser, the Russian leader emphasized that Moscow will seek to achieve its goals in Ukraine and remove the 'root causes' of the conflict. 'Russia will not back down from these goals,' Ushakov told reporters after the call. Russia's army crossed the border on Feb. 24, 2022, in an all-out invasion that Putin sought to justify by falsely saying it was needed to protect Russian-speaking civilians in eastern Ukraine and prevent the country from joining NATO. Zelensky has repeatedly called out Russian disinformation efforts. Russia has been stepping up its long-range attacks on Ukrainian cities. Less than a week ago, Russia launched what was then the largest aerial assault of the war. That strategy has coincided with a concerted Russian effort to break through parts of the roughly 1,000-kilometer (620-mile) front line, where Ukrainian troops are under severe pressure. Russia launched 550 drones and missiles across Ukraine during the night, the country's air force said. The majority were Shahed drones, but Russia also launched 11 missiles in the attack. Alya Shahlai, a 23-year-old Kyiv wedding photographer, said that her home was destroyed in the attack. 'We were all in the (basement) shelter because it was so loud, staying home would have been suicidal,' she told The Associated Press. 'We went down 10 minutes before and then there was a loud explosion and the lights went out in the shelter, people were panicking.' Five ambulances were damaged while responding to calls, officials said, and emergency services removed more than 300 tons of rubble. Trump, Zelensky talks In Friday's call, Zelensky said he congratulated Trump and the American people on Independence Day and thanked the United States for its continued support. They discussed a possible future meeting between their teams to explore ways of enhancing Ukraine's protection against air attacks, Zelensky said. He added that they talked in detail about defense industry capabilities and direct joint projects with the US, particularly in drone technology. They also exchanged views on mutual procurement, investment, and diplomatic cooperation with international partners, Zelensky said. Peace efforts have been fruitless so far. Recent direct peace talks have led only to sporadic exchanges of prisoners of war, wounded troops and the bodies of fallen soldiers. No date has been set for further negotiations. Ukrainian officials and the Russian Defense Ministry said another prisoner swap took place Friday, though neither side said how many soldiers were involved. Zelensky said most of the Ukrainians had been in Russian captivity since 2022. The Ukrainian soldiers were classified as 'wounded and seriously ill.' Constant buzzing of drones The Ukrainian response needs to be speedy as Russia escalates its aerial attacks. Russia launched 5,438 drones at Ukraine in June, a new monthly record, according to official data collated by The Associated Press. Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha said earlier this week that Russia also launched more than 330 missiles, including nearly 80 ballistic missiles, at Ukrainian towns and cities that month. Throughout the night, AP journalists in Kyiv heard the constant buzzing of drones overhead and the sound of explosions and intense machine gun fire as Ukrainian forces tried to intercept the aerial assault. 'Absolutely horrible and sleepless night in Kyiv,' Ukrainian Foreign Minister Andrii Sybiha wrote on social media platform X. 'One of the worst so far.' Ukraine's Economy Minister Yuliia Svyrydenko described 'families running into metro stations, basements, underground parking garages, mass destruction in the heart of our capital.' 'What Kyiv endured last night, cannot be called anything but a deliberate act of terror,' she wrote on X. Kyiv was the primary target of the countrywide attack. At least 14 people were hospitalized, according to Kyiv Mayor Vitali Klitschko. Zelensky called the Kyiv attack 'cynical.' In Moscow, the Defense Ministry claimed its forces targeted factories producing drones and other military equipment in Kyiv. Russia strikes 5 Ukrainian regions Ukrainian air defenses shot down 270 targets, including two cruise missiles. Another 208 targets were lost from radar and presumed jammed. Russia successfully hit eight locations with nine missiles and 63 drones. Debris from intercepted drones fell across at least 33 sites. In addition to the capital, the Dnipropetrovsk, Sumy, Kharkiv, Chernihiv and Kyiv regions also sustained damage, Zelensky said. Emergency services reported damage in at least five of Kyiv's 10 districts.
Al Arabiya
2 hours ago
- Al Arabiya
Russian air defenses down dozens of Ukrainian drones, including two near St. Petersburg
Russian air defense units downed dozens of Ukrainian drones in widely dispersed parts of the country, including two near the country's second-largest city, St. Petersburg, officials said. Alexander Drozdenko, governor of Leningrad region surrounding St. Petersburg, wrote on Telegram that two drones were downed in different districts south of the city. He said no injuries or damage was reported. Operations were suspended for a time at St. Petersburg's Pulkovo Airport. The governor of Smolensk region in western Russia said anti-aircraft units had downed three drones without any casualties or damage. The governor of Voronezh region, next to Ukraine, said 'several' drones had been destroyed. The Russian Defense Ministry reported a total of 42 drones destroyed over a three-hour period, 37 of them in three regions bordering Ukraine – Belgorod, Bryansk and Kursk. Ukraine has deployed drones increasingly in attacks on distant targets in Russian territory. In one spectacular set of strikes last month, in an operation dubbed 'Spider's Web,' a number of Russian bombers were hit at various air bases. Russian forces have used increasing numbers of drones to target Ukrainian cities, with a record total of 539 drones and 11 missiles deployed against Kyiv on Thursday night, according to the Ukrainian air force. Ukrainian President Volodymyr Zelenskyy said his military had successfully deployed drone interceptors to down Russian drones in the overnight attack.
Arab News
9 hours ago
- Arab News
Azerbaijan signs $2 billion investment agreements with Pakistan on sidelines of ECO summit
ISLAMABAD: Azerbaijan signed investment agreements worth $2 billion with Pakistan on Friday to boost economic cooperation, said an official statement released in Islamabad, in a major development during Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif's visit to the Central Asian state for the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO) summit. The two-day summit, hosted in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, focused on a sustainable and climate-resilient future for the region. In his address, Sharif warned that climate change posed an existential threat to ECO member states, highlighting the impact of melting glaciers, floods, desertification and declining crop yields. He also emphasized more trade, tourism and regional integration to enhance economic prosperity. 'In the presence of Prime Minister Muhammad Shehbaz Sharif, Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Muhammad Ishaq Dar and Azerbaijan's Minister of Economy Mikayil Jabbarov signed agreements for $2 billion of investment in Pakistan's economic sector from Azerbaijan,' the PM Office announced in a statement. The agreements were signed following a bilateral meeting between Sharif and Azerbaijani President Ilham Aliyev, with officials hoping for a more detailed agreement during Aliyev's upcoming visit to Pakistan. 'The agreement has elevated investment and trade relations between the two countries to a historic level and will serve as a guarantee for further strengthening their brotherly ties and commercial partnership,' the official Pakistani statement added. It also described the development as a result of sustained engagement between Pakistani ministries and diplomats and their Azerbaijani counterparts over recent months. SIDELINE DIPLOMACY On the sidelines of the summit, Sharif held separate meetings with the presidents of Turkiye, Iran and Uzbekistan, reaffirming Pakistan's commitment to regional cooperation, peace and connectivity. In his meeting with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan, both leaders reviewed the full spectrum of bilateral relations and vowed to accelerate progress in critical areas. 'The two leaders reiterated their resolve to bring about meaningful progress in relations... [emphasizing] the importance of deepening cooperation in trade, defense, energy, connectivity and investment,' said a separate handout by the PM Office. To advance this agenda, both sides agreed to exchange high-level delegations to finalize understandings reached between the sides. In another key engagement, the Pakistani prime minister met Iranian President Dr. Masoud Pezeshkian, with both sides reviewing the implementation of previous agreements to strengthen bilateral ties. Sharif praised Iran's leadership during the recent conflict with Israel and welcomed Tehran's decision to agree to a ceasefire. 'The Prime Minister reaffirmed Pakistan's unwavering solidarity with the people and Government of Iran and Pakistan's strong commitment to continue working closely with Iran for peace in the region through dialogue and diplomacy,' the statement said. In his meeting with Uzbek President Shavkat Mirziyoyev, Sharif focused on regional integration, energy cooperation, and the Trans-Afghan Railway Project, which is seen as vital for unlocking trade corridors between Central and South Asia. 'The two leaders agreed on visits of their senior ministers to Tashkent and Islamabad to finalize necessary agreements,' the PMO said, adding that both sides viewed their cultural and historical ties as a strong foundation for broader collaboration.
