This is apropos back-to-back letters to the editor titled above carried by the newspaper on Friday and yesterday. It is important to note that in the fiercest aerial dogfights witnessed in South Asia, five Indian aircraft – including three Rafales – were shot down.
The weapon of choice: China-made PL-15 air-to-air missiles, deployed by JF-17 Thunder jets. The event sent shockwaves through global defense communities. How could lower-cost fighters and less-funded forces dismantle India’s French-made fleet? The answer lay in pilot skill, tactical discipline, and superior command integration – all areas where Pakistan excelled. But it wasn’t just the air force.
Pakistan’s missile defence systems intercepted multiple Indian drones and neutralized misfired projectiles that tragically landed within Indian territory – specifically in illegally occupied Kashmir and Indian East Punjab – causing civilian casualties and infrastructure damage. These errors highlighted India’s lack of coordination and systemic flaws within its military hierarchy.
India’s narrative – that Pakistan was the perpetual sponsor of cross-border terrorism – fell flat. The international community, increasingly skeptical of India’s claims, demanded verifiable evidence, which never materialized. The UN and European Union called for restraint and transparency. India’s allies grew uncomfortable with its unilateralism and recklessness.
Even US officials, while committed to India strategically, privately acknowledged that New Delhi had acted without a clear objective and had exposed its military and diplomatic inadequacies. The global perception shifted: Pakistan was no longer the underdog or the provocateur. It was a disciplined, sovereign state defending itself with dignity and proportionality.
Qamar Bashir
Copyright Business Recorder, 2025
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