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NEW DELHI: China gave Islamabad “live inputs” on key Indian positions during Pakistan’s deadly conflict with its neighbor in May, the deputy chief of India’s army said on Friday, calling for urgent upgrades to the country’s air defense systems.

The nuclear-armed rivals used missiles, drones and artillery fire during the four-day fighting — their worst in decades — triggered by an April attack on Hindu tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir that New Delhi blamed on Islamabad, before agreeing to a ceasefire.

Pakistan has denied involvement in the April attack.

India fought two adversaries during the conflict, with Pakistan being the “front face” while China provided “all possible support,” Lt. Gen. Rahul Singh said at a defense industry event in New Delhi.

“When the DGMO (director general of military operations) level talks were going on, Pakistan ... said that we know that your such and such important vector is primed and it is ready for action ... he was getting live inputs from China,” he said.

Singh did not elaborate on how India knew about the live inputs from China.

The Chinese foreign and defense ministries, and Pakistan army’s public relations wing did not immediately respond to Reuters requests for comment.

India’s relationship with China was strained after a 2020 border clash that sparked a four-year military standoff, but tensions began to ease after the countries reached a pact to step back in October.

India had earlier said that although Pakistan is closely allied with China, there was no sign of any actual help from Beijing during the conflict.

Regarding the possibility of China providing satellite imagery or other real-time intelligence, India’s chief of defense staff had said such imagery was commercially available and could have been procured from China or elsewhere.

Pakistani officials have previously dismissed allegations of receiving active support from China in the conflict, but have not commented specifically on whether Beijing gave any satellite and radar help during the fighting.

Beijing, which welcomed the ceasefire in May, has helped Pakistan’s struggling economy with investments and financial support since 2013.

The Chinese foreign minister also vowed support to Pakistan in safeguarding its national sovereignty and territorial integrity when he met his Pakistani counterpart days after the ceasefire.

Singh said that Turkiye also provided key support to Pakistan during the fighting, equipping it with Bayraktar and “numerous other” drones, and “trained individuals.”

Ankara has strong ties with Islamabad, and had expressed solidarity with it during the clash, prompting Indians to boycott everything from Turkish coffee to holidays in the country.

Turkiye’s defense ministry did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif on Friday called for the establishment of low-emission corridors and a regional carbon market to mobilize climate finance across member states of the Economic Cooperation Organization (ECO), warning that climate change was threatening food security and livelihoods of millions in the region.

Addressing the 17th ECO Summit in Khankendi, Azerbaijan, the Pakistani prime minister highlighted the devastating impacts of climate change and urged regional cooperation to mitigate these risks.

The summit focused on trade, sustainable development and enhanced regional connectivity.

“Like the rest of the world, ECO member states are facing far-reaching impacts of climate change, from melting glaciers, desertification, extreme heat waves, devastating floods and declining agricultural productivity,” Sharif said in his speech. “These challenges threaten the food security and livelihoods of millions of our people. Pakistan remains among the top 10 countries that are most vulnerable to climate change.”

“Pakistan proposes the development of low-emission corridors, an ECO-wide carbon market platform and regional disaster resilience systems,” he continued. “A dedicated framework to mobilize climate finance along with regional clean energy corridors and eco-tourism initiatives can further drive inclusive, sustainable growth, creating green jobs, especially for youth and women and supporting livelihoods in vulnerable regions.”

The prime minister cited the catastrophic 2022 floods in Pakistan as a grim example of climate vulnerability, recalling that over 33 million people were affected, with widespread damage to lives, livelihoods and infrastructure.

He also referenced recent flash floods during the current monsoon season that have claimed over 60 lives, noting that climate-induced disasters now pose an existential challenge for many ECO countries.

TRADE, TOURISM, CONNECTIVITY

The prime minister also urged ECO member states to expedite the implementation of the ECO Trade Agreement, originally envisioned as a cornerstone of regional integration under the ECO Vision 2025.

“Promotion of trade and investment holds the key to securing our common goals for strengthening regional connectivity,” he said, citing the need to activate transport corridors, ensure energy security and foster intra-regional tourism and economic growth.

While the agreement was reached during the 13th ECO Summit in Islamabad in 2017, it is yet to be operationalized.

Sharif called for renewed efforts to build on the region’s shared heritage and historic Silk Road synergies.

“As members of the ECO family, sharing strong commonalities of history and geography, of faith and culture, we have a firm basis for lasting cooperative relationships,” he added. “Let us … channel our collective energies toward a future that guarantees our people’s life of peace, progress and prosperity.”