In response to Turkey's public support for Pakistan following India’s military strikes in May 2025, Indian travel businesses have begun taking drastic measures. Goa Villas, a prominent luxury holiday rental provider, became the second company after Go Homestays to announce it would no longer offer services to Turkish nationals. In a post on social media platform X, Goa Villas cited Turkey’s “non-cooperative stance in the current global scenario involving India and Pakistan” as the reason for their decision, expressing solidarity with India. Go Homestays, meanwhile, severed its partnership with Turkish Airlines, declaring they would no longer include the airline in their international travel packages. These actions come after India’s military strike, Operation Sindoor, which targeted terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK), in retaliation for the deadly terror attack in Pahalgam that claimed 26 Indian lives.
The move against Turkish nationals in India, however, is a response to Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdoğan's reported comments offering diplomatic support to Pakistan. Following India’s strikes, Erdoğan praised Pakistan's “calm and restrained policies,” sparking widespread outrage in India. While no official ban has been imposed on Turkish citizens in India, according to quite a few people, the growing trend of refusals by private Indian businesses to serve Turkish nationals has raised legal and ethical questions. Although there are many who feel that the action is necessary, Indian social media platforms have been abuzz with calls for a boycott of Turkish companies and tourism, urging Indian businesses to sever ties. Despite the lack of government mandates, this backlash has created an atmosphere of heightened tensions and growing nationalism in the region.
While not the majority supplier, Turkey has been a significant supplier of weapons to Pakistan, but it is not the only or primary supplier. However, China is Pakistan’s largest and most consistent arms supplier. That said, Turkey has also played an important role, particularly in recent years.