Used to witnessing dazzling displays of skill, the audience in Thursday’s Pakistan Day Parade was in for a unique surprise. Behind acrobatic formations of JF-17s and Sherdils, painting the sky in their wake, flew a solitary aircraft; an F-16 with a striking bright black, silver, and golden livery. Darting through the blue in dizzying, physics-defying motions, the jet wowed the crowd with its maneuvers.
This was Solo Türk; the famed Turkish Air Force aerobatic team that had arrived in Pakistan to commemorate Pakistan Day.
On the ground, a similarly unique procession marched past the audience. Wearing the distinctive börk and the scarlet robes of the famed Janissaries, a Turkish military band performed Pakistani patriotic anthems, as well as the theme song of Turkish TV drama Ertugrul Ghazi – which has garnered widespread popularity in the country.
Marvelous in its performance, the heavy Turkish contingent present in Islamabad on the Pakistan Day Parade underscores a strengthening and maturing relationship between the two countries, especially between their two militaries.
Left adrift by the US-led West’s capricious foreign policy, both Turkey and Pakistan have had to innovate to fulfill their defence needs. While Pakistan and China jointly developed the JF-17 single-engine fighter jet after further supply of F-16s seemed unlikely. Meanwhile, Turkey – having been kicked out of the US’s F-35 program – is looking at advanced Russian jets as a possible replacement.
The off-shoot of this need to innovate has been increased bilateral military cooperation. Both nations operate a sizeable fleet of F-16s, and their pilots are considered some of the best trained in the world. As access to more equipment from the West becomes increasingly restricted, Turkey and Pakistan have stepped up bilateral upgrade, exchange, and training programs for their fighter fleets.
The cooperation now extends beyond the air force, as bilateral transfers will soon exceed $3 billion, which includes the purchase of four MILGEM Ada-class corvettes, two of which will be built in Pakistan, and 30 T-129 Atak helicopters. Turkey for its part has procured training aircraft, drone parts, and bombs from Islamabad.
Cooperation in diplomatic, cultural and tourism spheres are separate and rapidly deepening in their own right.
Turkey’s representation at the Parade was not a one-off display of friendship, but a testament to a strategic partnership that seems set to extend into the foreseeable future.
