New Delhi: During the intense military confrontation dubbed Operation Sindoor, India was not merely battling Pakistan, but was simultaneously facing an intricate alliance involving China and Turkey, revealed Lieutenant General Rahul R. Singh, Deputy Chief of Army Staff. Speaking at the New Age Military Technologies seminar hosted by FICCI in the national capital, Lt. Gen. Singh offered a rare glimpse into the multi-front nature of the recent conflict along India’s western borders.
The operation, which unfolded from May 7 to May 10, was marked by a disturbing level of foreign intervention. “We were up against three adversaries not just Pakistan,” Lt. Gen. Singh remarked. “China and Turkey had joined the fray in a covert capacity, offering Pakistan both technological and tactical support.”
Most notably, China is said to have offered “unrestricted assistance” to Pakistan, functioning as a real-time intelligence partner during the four-day conflict. According to Lt. Gen. Singh, Chinese defense systems were actively engaged in the background not just supplying hardware, but also facilitating live information exchange.
“China used Pakistan as a live testing ground for its military equipment,” the senior Army officer revealed. “Weapons were not just delivered, they were field-tested in real combat scenarios against Indian forces. This gave Beijing valuable insight into the performance of its systems under battlefield conditions.”
Turkey also played a critical role, supplying combat drones and other military assets that were integrated into Pakistan’s tactical operations during the conflict. Lt. Gen. Singh further disclosed a striking statistic: 81% of Pakistan’s current military inventory comprises Chinese-origin equipment, from small arms to advanced missile systems and UAVs.
This revelation highlights the strategic depth of the Sino-Pakistani defense relationship and raises alarms about China’s increasing proxy presence in regional conflicts. "The battlefield was no longer just about India and Pakistan it evolved into a complex web of hostile partnerships, pushing us to recalibrate our approach to multi-domain warfare," he said.
Lt. Gen. Singh’s comments also underscored the growing need for India to invest aggressively in indigenous defense technologies and cyber warfare capabilities. With real-time intelligence sharing and autonomous weapon systems becoming central to modern warfare, he stressed that India must stay ahead of adversaries who are integrating advanced systems from global suppliers into their operational strategy.
The disclosure has stirred strategic circles and once again brought into focus the evolving nature of asymmetric warfare where traditional military boundaries are blurred, and conflicts are shaped by stealth partnerships and proxy engagements.
The statements are a clear signal that India's military leadership is viewing future threats not in isolation, but in the context of a hostile axis where technology, intelligence, and alliances are deeply intertwined.