China helped Pakistan with ‘live inputs’ in conflict with India, Indian Army deputy chief says

NEW DELHI: China gave Islamabad “live inputs” on key Indian positions during Pakistan’s deadly conflict with its neighbour in May, the deputy chief of India’s army said on Friday, calling for urgent upgrades to the country’s air defence systems.

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 IIOJK 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”, Lieutenant General Rahul Singh said at a defence 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 defence ministries, and Pakistan army’s public relations wing did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

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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 defence 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 Turkey 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.

Turkey’s defence ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.