After pro-Pakistan ‘Aman ki Asha’, liberals are simping over Turkey since Indians are giving boycott calls against Turkey and Azerbaijan

The ‘0.5 front’ late General Bipin Rawat talked about once has been working overtime to undermine India’s national interests amidst tensions with Pakistan. Despite the fact that the Indian Armed Forces have confirmed that Pakistan used Turkish drones to attack Indian cities, religious sites and military infrastructure, the Islamo-leftist cabal is supporting Turkey. This newfound love of Indian liberals for Turkey comes after a large number of Indians started giving boycott calls against Turkey and Azerbaijan.

In this vein, Aakar Ahmed Patel, the former head of Amnesty India, took to X to support Turkey and wrote: “think will visit Turkey”.

Patel dropped another post mocking the boycott calls against Turkey and Azerbaijan and wrote, “no turkey azerbaingan in our jaisa cup.”

Meanwhile, Saba Naqvi expressed her anguish over the “Boycott Turkey” by bringing up China, which has been an all-weather ally of Pakistan. “To all those wanting to boycott Turkey, a reminder about China also that has a greater role and influence in Pakistan. Remember to please boycott all the Chinese goods and make sure you check and only buy Not made in China. just saying,” Naqvi posted.

One pro-Congress troll, seemingly triggered with boycott calls against Turkey, asked ‘Bhakts’ if they would “boycott China and those who do business with China?”

Another X user asked why ‘Bhakts’ are not boycotting China even though it has supplied fighter jets, drones, intelligence and satellite data about Indian fighter jets to Pakistan.

‘Boycott Turkey, Azerbaijan’ a ‘Bhakts-led’ campaign or outcome of a raging national sentiment: Breaking the delusion of Indian liberals

The Indian liberals are presenting the entire ‘Boycott Turkey’ and ‘Boycott Azerbaijan’ campaigns as a right-wing/bhakt initiative against the allies of Pakistan and not as what it actually is, a sensible reaction of Indians as a people. This, however, is far from reality as the boycott calls are not confined to right-wing social media outrage; rather, the decision to boycott Turkish goods, tourism, as well as to stop choosing Azerbaijan as a tourist destination, is supported by Indians from all walks of life. From Indians planning to visit Turkey or Azerbaijan, traders selling Turkish goods, to social media calls to boycott Turkish brands, this boycott campaign is a response by Indians who believe Turkey has been acting against India’s interests despite India’s help. Influencers, travel bloggers, politicians, and even former diplomats have urged Indians to cancel travel plans to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Beyond tourism, Turkish TV shows, coffee, textiles, and consumer goods are being boycotted. Indian streaming subscribers have begun uninstalling apps that promote Turkish content. Moreover, Turkish Airlines, which capitalised on India’s outbound tourism, is facing social media heat with thousands calling for a mass boycott. Recently, travel accommodation brand Go Homestays ended its partnership with Turkish Airlines in view of Turkey’s support for terror-factory Pakistan.

The traders’ body, Confederation of All India Traders (CAIT), has called upon Indian traders and citizens to completely boycott travel to Turkey and Azerbaijan in response to their open support for Pakistan amidst current hostilities.

CAIT has long been running a nationwide campaign to boycott Chinese products, which has had a considerable impact, and it now intends to extend this movement to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Meanwhile, Travel agencies report a noticeable spike in cancellations, and platforms like IXIGO and EaseMyTrip have already announced they would not allow their services to be used to book flights and vacations to Turkey, Azerbaijan, and China. Indian influencers who once romanticised Turkish locales are now posting videos urging followers to travel to friendlier nations like Greece instead.

WanderOn, a D2C (direct-to-consumer) travel-technology firm, and Cox & Kings, among others, have also decided to halt travel offerings to Turkey and Azerbaijan.

Similarly, traders at Pune’s APMC fruit market have halted purchases of Turkish apples, typically part of a ₹1,000–1,200 crore seasonal trade. Merchants say this is more than economics; it’s a stand with the armed forces. Demand for Turkish apples has dropped nearly 50%, as consumers actively reject products from countries siding against India. Traders are now sourcing apples from Himachal, Uttarakhand, and Iran, reinforcing the movement as both a patriotic and economic stand.

However, the way Indian liberals are labelling everyone boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan, basically any country taking an anti-India stand, as ‘Bhakts’, it seems like loving India and prioritising national interests automatically makes one a ‘Bhakt’. Liberals are hiding their dismay over the ‘Boycott Turkey’ campaign by hiding behind the ‘why not China’ argument. Well, Indian ‘right wing’ has long been pushing for boycotting Chinese goods and supporting local manufacturers. It is only when initiatives like Make In India will be successful on a large scale that India will be able to curb dependence on foreign countries like China.

Why do Indians want to boycott Turkey and Azerbaijan?

A wave of patriotic fervour is sweeping across Indian social media as citizens unite under the banners of #BoycottTurkey and #BoycottAzerbaijan after Turkish-made drones were used by Pakistan in retaliation for Operation Sindoor—India’s precision military operation targeting terror infrastructure across the Line of Control.

What began as a covert strike to dismantle cross-border terror hubs quickly escalated when Pakistan, reeling from the success of Operation Sindoor, launched a retaliatory drone offensive using Turkish-supplied Bayraktar TB2 drones. This aggressive response—targeting civil centres as well as key Indian military installations—enraged the Indian public, who now see Turkey and Azerbaijan not just as silent enablers, but as active collaborators in Pakistan’s anti-India machinery.

Erdogan, who fancies himself as the ‘caliph’ of the Muslim Ummah, has previously toed Pakistan’s narrative on the Kashmir issue on global forums like the UN, all while killing Kurds and jailing journalists. While Turkey’s religious-ideological support to Pakistan has widely been known, the ideological hostility has now crossed into the realm of military aggression, with Turkey supplying Pakistan with lethal aerial assets used against Indian targets.

Not just supplying arms, reports have indicated that Turkish advisers were working with Pakistani military to help them use these drones against India. Two Turkish drone operators have died in the retaliatory strikes by India, revealing Turkey’s on ground support to the war against India.

Additionally, a Turkish Ada-class anti-submarine corvette docked at Karachi port on May 2, 2025, and a Turkish C-130 Hercules military transport aircraft landed at Karachi airport on April 27, 2025, possibly carrying arms while the conflict was brewing and Pakistan was anticipating retaliation by India for the Pahalgam terrorist attack. 

How Turkey benefits from Indian tourists

Notably, Turkey received around 62.2 million foreign tourists, with approximately 300,000 tourists arriving from India alone. This marked a 20.7 per cent increase in Indian tourists compared to 2023. Turkey’s total tourism revenue stood at USD 61.1 billion, with each Indian tourist spending an average of USD 972, amounting to a total estimated Indian expenditure of USD 291.6 million. It is estimated that if Indian tourists boycott Turkey, the country could suffer a direct loss of approximately USD 291.6 million.

Moreover, the cancellation of Indian weddings, corporate events, and other cultural programs would cause even further indirect economic losses. As per the data, in 2024, Turkey received about 2.6 million foreign tourists, of whom around 250,000 were Indians. The average spending by an Indian tourist was 2,170 AZN, which is approximately USD 1,276, leading to a total Indian contribution of roughly USD 308.6 million. A boycott by Indian tourists could therefore result in a direct loss of this magnitude, he added.

As Indian travellers mainly visit Azerbaijan for leisure, weddings, entertainment, and adventure activities, a large-scale decline could cause a noticeable economic slowdown in these sectors there. Interestingly, while in 2014, merely 4,853 Indians visited Azerbaijan, in 2024, this number surged to 2,43,589. In 2023, 1.17 lakh Indians visited Azerbaijan. India is said to be the fourth-largest tourist source for Azerbaijan, thus, Indians deciding not to visit the country would inflict significant losses on Pakistan’s ally.

However, it is essential to note that boycotting Turkey and Azerbaijan is not an act of revenge nor aimed at any permanent enmity, rather, it is a clear message to these countries that, just as terror and trade, terror and talks cannot happen simultaneously between Pakistan and India, India’s policy against terror enablers is also the same.

Not to forget, last time Indians boycotted a country, its economy was left in shambles. The boycott calls against the Maldives were made after some of its ministers made derogatory remarks against Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi. The Indian boycott nearly destroyed the Maldivian economy, which largely depends on tourism, forcing its leaders to mend their ways and apologise.

As per the latest reports, Indian travel aggregator MakeMyTrip has stated that they have seen a 60% decrease in new bookings for Turkey and Azerbaijan, while cancellations have surged 250%. MakeMyTrip has supported the sentiments and is asking its patrons to refrain from travelling to Turkey and Azerbaijan unless essential.

India helped Turkey with Operation Dost, Turkey returned the favour with Operation ‘Dushman’

Back in 2023, India launched Operation Dost to assist in search-and-rescue operations in Turkey and Syria following deadly earthquakes. Operation Dost was a testament to India’s ethos of global humanitarianism, with the NDRF teams, Indian Army, medical personnel, and critical supplies like tents, medicines and food airlifted to aid Turkey in its time of distress. India extended its humanitarian hand to Turkey despite knowing that the country has continuously been siding with Pakistan in challenging India’s territorial integrity by raking up the Kashmir issue. Yet, Turkey has been consistently acting against Indian interests and promoting Pakistan’s cause. In 2024, Turkey raised the Kashmir issue at the UNHRC.

At a time when India must collectively assert its diplomatic as well as economic leverage, this selective pacifism of these liberals undermines our national interests and efforts meant to confront strategic challenges in a dramatically polarised and divided global order.

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