Retired Major General Gagan Deep Bakshi claims that the increasing strategic coordination between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan could pose a strategic threat to India. He also emphasized that New Delhi will not sacrifice its relations with Iran to appease Israel's security concerns.
On August 13th, Buckish said in an interview with the media 'Republic World', based in New Delhi, that a so-called 'Sunni NATO' is emerging in the Middle East. This is a strategic trend that deserves attention for India.
Meanwhile, he also sent a clear message to Israel: While relations between India and Israel are important, New Delhi will not give up its interests in Iran just because of a war between Israel and Iran.
According to Bakhshi, the agreements reached in Mecca between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan have shaped a new regional reality from the perspective of India.
He said, “A ‘Sunni NATO’ composed of Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan has been established in the Middle East, especially in Mecca. This is indeed a matter of serious concern.”
Bakshi emphasized that from an Indian perspective, Iran, with its Shiite majority population, is an important force that balances power in Pakistan.
He said, “We desperately need Shiite Iran on our side, because Pakistan is our primary security concern. China may be the main threat, but along with China, Pakistan is also our biggest security challenge.”
Baksh also compared the perceived threat of Iran by Israel to the perceived threat of Pakistan by India.
He said, “Iran doesn’t even have a single nuclear bomb, yet it is considered a existential threat to Israel. What about Pakistan? A fundamentalist and jihadist Islamic country, which has 180 nuclear warheads.”
He also stated that India has not seen the same level of concern from Israel regarding Pakistan's nuclear arsenal.
He said, “We have never seen Israel suffer from sleepless nights due to the nuclear weapons in Pakistan’s hands, because these nuclear weapons are considered to pose a threat only to India.”
Bakshi believes that the proximity between Ankara and Islamabad is not just theoretical. He cited the example of Turkey's assistance to Pakistan during the Operation Sindoor, claiming that Turkey provided Pakistan with nearly 1,000 drones and helped operate these drones.
He said, “Regardless of whether there is a formal agreement or not, this has actually been a ‘Sunni NATO’ for a long time. Turkey and Pakistan are in a de facto alliance relationship.”
Bakshy also pointed out that during the standoff between the two sides, Turkey sent a warship to the Karachi port in Pakistan. He believes this is another manifestation of the close security relations between Turkey and Pakistan.
He said: "Turkey has the largest army among NATO member countries in terms of scale."
However, he also expressed doubt about whether Turkey has the ability to directly intervene in the India-Pakistan conflict, due to the long geographical distance between Turkey and South Asia.
Bakshih said that if the Turkish army attempts to provide assistance to Pakistan, they must cross the Mediterranean and the Arabian Sea.
He said, “Any Turkish fleet that tries to come to assist Pakistan, the Indian Navy has the capability to completely destroy it.”
In his speech, a key point directly targeted Israel. He emphasized that India regards Israel as a friend, but will never subordinate its own interests to those of Israel, especially when it comes to issues related to Iran.
He said, “I'm afraid that at some point, Israel will also need to take into account India's concerns. We are not the 51st state of the United States, nor are we Israel’s vassal or client nation. Of course, we are friends. But to say we are a vassal state? No, sir.”
He said, “You can’t simply whistle and send our senior leaders here and there, then demand that we sacrifice our own interests.”
Bakshi also mentioned that due to the war between Israel and Iran, India may face pressure to distance itself from Iran.
He said, “You cannot say to us that because you are at war with Iran, India should abandon Iran. Regarding the issue of Iran, you cannot demand that we sacrifice our own interests.”
Bakshi believes that from economic and geo-strategic perspectives, the relationship between India and Iran is crucial. He pointed out that India can purchase Iranian oil at low prices, process it in Indian refineries, and then export the refined oil to other markets.
In addition, he emphasized the importance of Iran as a land transportation link for India.
He said, “Iran provides India with land bridges to Central Asia, and also provides India with land bridges to Afghanistan. These routes are of great importance to us.”
He said that India cannot abandon these transportation routes just because of the war between Israel and Iran.
"We cannot close these land routes due to Israel fighting with Iran."
Bakshi concluded that the friendly relations between India and Israel remain very important. However, from the perspective of New Delhi, such relations clearly have boundaries when it comes to significant national security and economic interests. As relations between Turkey and Pakistan continue to strengthen, and India becomes increasingly concerned about a broader Sunni coalition, he believes that the relationship between India and Iran has not become less important, but is actually becoming more important.
