Kamal Ghorui
NEW DELHI: Amid reports that China provided tech assistance to Pakistan in the military conflict that followed India’s Op Sindoor last year, the govt urged China to introspect about the likely reputational cost of backing terrorist infrastructure. The Ministry of External Affairs (MEA) said that the reports had only corroborated what was already known.“Operation Sindoor was a precise, targeted and calibrated response to the terrorist attacks in Pahalgam, aimed at destroying state sponsored terrorist infrastructure operating out of Pakistan and at its behest,” said MEA spokesperson Randhir Jaiswal, responding to queries at a media briefing about China’s support to Pakistan.“It is for nations who consider themselves responsible to reflect whether supporting attempts to protect terrorist infrastructure affects their reputation and standing,” the MEA spokesperson added.Reports from Beijing said last week that China had confirmed it provided on-site technical support to Pakistan during the conflict with India in May last year. The confirmation was based on an interview aired by China’s state broadcaster CCTV with Zhang Heng, an engineer from the Aviation Industry Corporation of China’s Chengdu Aircraft Design and Research Institute, a key developer of China’s advanced fighter aircraft and unmanned aerial vehicle design.Zhang had provided technical support to Pakistan during the four-day war last May, Hong Kong-based South China Morning Post reported, quoting CCTV. Pakistan’s air force operates a fleet of Chinese-made J-10CE jets, produced by an Aviation Industry Corporation of China subsidiary.
