India’s trade ties with Turkey and Azerbaijan have been affected after both countries backed Pakistan and condemned India’s strikes on terror camps in Pakistan. The political stance triggered public outrage in India, leading to calls for a boycott of Turkish goods and tourism.
Aamir Khan’s Photos Resurface
Amid this backdrop, old photographs of Bollywood actor Aamir Khan with Turkish President Recep Tayyip Erdogan and his wife Emine Erdogan resurfaced online. Social media users began trolling the actor for meeting the Turkish leaders, especially as Turkey recently supported Pakistan during heightened tensions with India.
Aamir Khan’s Clarification
Responding to the criticism, Aamir Khan addressed the issue in an interview with India TV. He acknowledged the public anger, saying, “Turkey did a very wrong thing, and every Indian has been hurt by that.” Referring to the humanitarian aid India had sent to Turkey during an earthquake, he added that at the time, both he and the Indian government viewed Turkey as a friendly nation.
He emphasized that the photo with President Erdogan was taken in 2017, during a time when diplomatic relations were cordial. He also clarified that the image with Turkey’s First Lady Emine Erdogan—often misattributed to his 2020 visit during the filming of Laal Singh Chaddha—was actually from before 2017.
Role as Public Figure
Aamir explained that as a public figure representing India abroad, declining an invitation from a head of state for a tea meeting would have felt disrespectful. However, he made it clear that he supports the current national sentiment. “Indians boycotting Turkey and cancelling their travel plans is absolutely right,” he said. “We helped them in their crisis, and they repaid us by backing our adversary. That’s not fair.”
Military Operations and Public Backlash
India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 in response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, targeting nine terror bases in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir. During the conflict, Pakistan used Turkish drones in a failed attack on Indian military targets. Subsequently, Indian tra
