India puts a brake on Israel: "We are friends, but not vassals"
Indian Major General (Ret.) Gagan Deep Bakshi has issued a sharp critique of Israel, stating that New Delhi will not sacrifice its interests regarding Iran. He also expressed concern over the formation of a "Sunni NATO" and the nuclear arsenal of Pakistan.
Indian Major General (Ret.) Gagan Deep Bakshi has issued an unusual warning regarding the rapprochement between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan, claiming that the formation of what he calls a "Sunni NATO" in the Middle East is a source of strategic concern for India. At the same time, he sent a clear message to Israel: the alliance between the nations is important, but New Delhi will not abandon its interests regarding Iran simply because of the war between Jerusalem and Tehran.
According to him, the agreement formed in Mecca between Turkey, Saudi Arabia, and Pakistan creates a new regional reality for India. "A Sunni NATO is a serious source of concern," he stated. Bakshi emphasized that from India's perspective, Shiite Iran is an essential counterweight to Pakistan. "We desperately need Iran to be on our side, because Pakistan is our primary security headache, alongside China."
"Pakistan has 180 nuclear warheads"
Bakshi compared the threat Iran poses to Israel with the threat Pakistan poses to India. "Iran does not have a single nuclear bomb, yet it is perceived as an existential threat to Israel. What about Pakistan? A fundamentalist Islamic state that possesses 180 nuclear warheads?"
He added that India has not seen Israel show similar concern regarding the Pakistani nuclear arsenal. "We haven't seen Israel lose sleep over the bombs in Pakistan's hands because they are considered a threat only to India," he noted. Bakshi also pointed to practical military cooperation between Ankara and Islamabad, including the supply of nearly a thousand drones and the presence of Turkish instructors at Pakistani Air Force headquarters.
Message to Israel: "We are not a vassal state"
A central part of Bakshi's remarks was directed at Israel. He emphasized that India views Israel as a friend but will not agree to subordinate its interests to Israeli needs. "I fear that at some stage, Israel will have to be sensitive to Indian concerns as well," he said. "We are not the 51st state of the USA, and we are not a vassal state of Israel. We are friends, certainly. But not vassals."
Bakshi specifically addressed the pressure on India to distance itself from Iran. "You cannot just whistle and expect our leaders to sacrifice our national interests. We cannot close the land routes to Central Asia and Afghanistan that pass through Iran just because Israel is at war with it."
In conclusion, he stated that the friendship between India and Israel remains important, but from New Delhi's perspective, it has clear boundaries when major security and economic interests are at stake.
