Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has refuted claims made by the Indian Air Force (IAF) regarding the downing of Pakistani aircraft during the recent conflict, dubbed "Operation Sindoor". Asif's statement comes in response to Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh's assertion that the IAF shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and a large aircraft during the operation.
Asif dismissed the IAF chief's claims as "implausible" and "ill-timed". He stated firmly that "Not a single Pakistani aircraft was hit or destroyed by (the) Indian (side)". He also said that Pakistan destroyed six Indian jets, S-400 air defence batteries, and unmanned aircraft, while swiftly putting several Indian airbases out of action. According to Asif, the Indian armed forces suffered disproportionately heavier losses along the Line of Control.
According to Singh, the Indian Air Force shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and a large aircraft during Operation Sindoor. He said that the operation also resulted in a large number of Unmanned Aerial Vehicles, drones and some of their missiles falling into the Indian territory. Singh stated that the force had confirmed the destruction of five aircraft and one large platform, believed to be either an electronic intelligence (ELINT) aircraft or an airborne early warning and control (AEW&C) system, at a range of about 300 kilometers. He described the Shahbaz Jacobabad airfield, a major base, as being among the targets struck.
Asif challenged the Indian narrative and proposed independent verification of aircraft inventories. He expressed doubt that India would agree to this, suggesting it would expose the reality India seeks to obscure. "If the truth is in question, let both sides open their aircraft inventories to independent verification—though we suspect this would lay bare the reality India seeks to obscure," Asif stated.
Asif criticized Indian military leadership for being used as "faces of monumental failure" resulting from the "strategic shortsightedness" of Indian politicians. He pointed out that for over three months, no such claims were voiced, while Pakistan, in the immediate aftermath, presented detailed technical briefings to the international media. He added that independent observers recorded widespread acknowledgment of the loss of multiple Indian aircraft, including Rafales, by sources ranging from world leaders, senior Indian politicians, to foreign intelligence assessments.
Asif recalled Pakistan's measured military response during “Operation Bunyanum Marsoos,” and reaffirmed that every violation of Pakistan's sovereignty and territorial integrity will invite swift, surefire and proportionate response, and responsibility for any ensuing escalation. He also warned that such comical narratives, crafted for domestic political expediency, increase the grave risks of strategic miscalculation in a nuclearised environment.
