China gave Pakistan satellite support Indian defence group says

NEW DELHI - China provided Pakistan with air defence and satellite support during its clash with India in May, according to a research group under India’s Ministry of Defence, suggesting that Beijing was more directly involved in the conflict than was previously disclosed.

China helped Pakistan reorganise its radar and air defence systems to more effectively detect India’s deployments of troops and weaponry, Dr Ashok Kumar, director-general at the New Delhi-based Centre For Joint Warfare Studies, said in an interview.

China also helped Pakistan adjust its satellite coverage over India during the 15-day interval between an April 22 massacre that killed 26 mostly Indian tourists and the start of hostilities between the two nations, he said.

“It helped them to redeploy their air defence radar so that any actions which we do from the aerial route is known to them,” Dr Kumar said at the group’s headquarters in New Delhi.

India’s government has not publicly detailed China’s involvement in the conflict. While Pakistan has said it used Chinese-supplied weapons, Dr Kumar’s assessment – if correct – indicates that China’s involvement went even further, offering logistical and intelligence support to Islamabad.

The Centre for Joint Warfare Studies describes itself as an autonomous think-tank focused on integration and transformation of India’s armed forces. Its advisory board includes Defence Minister Rajnath Singh as well as India’s top military commander and the heads of the army, air force and navy.

China’s Foreign Ministry and Defence Ministry did not respond to requests for comment placed over the weekend. Representatives for India’s Foreign Ministry, Defence Ministry, armed forces and Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s office did not respond to requests for comment.

Pakistan’s Foreign Ministry and Information Ministry also did not respond to e-mailed queries on May 18.

The clash was the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours