IAF chief must have claimed downing Pakistan’s aircraft under pressure: defence analyst

KARACHI: Indian Air Force chief’s claim of downing Pakistan’s military aircraft after three months is such an “absurd and illogical idea” that it must have been stated under pressure from political leadership, Senior Defence Analyst Brigadier (retd) Waqar Hassan Khan said on Saturday.

The defence analyst made this remark, responding to IAF chief’s claim that India destroyed six Pakistani aircraft during the May dogfight.

The Indian ruling political party, BJP, has come under intense pressure from the opposition amid praise lavished by international defence analysts and military leadership on Pakistan Air Force’s brilliance in the dogfight with India.

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India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in May, India’s air force chief claimed on Saturday, the first such statement by the country months after its worst military conflict in decades with its nuclear-armed neighbour.

Indian Air Chief Marshal AP Singh claimed most of the Pakistani aircraft were downed by India’s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system.

Speaking to Business Recorder, Brig (retd) Waqar said satellites and other technologies are so advanced these days that this air combat was witnessed by China, Turkiye, the US and other countries as well and they had clear idea about formation of aircrafts and missiles hitting any target.

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“In a matter of minutes, this can be figured out how many targets have successfully been achieved through these technologies,” he said, adding it was obvious that there was something very fishy with Indian air chief’s this claim.

If India had downed Pakistani fighter jet, it must have been noticed by international observers, he said.

On the other hand, Waqar said, Pakistan’s destroying Indian fighter jets including Rafale was validated by foreign media as well.

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Earlier, Pakistan said it downed five Indian planes in air-to-air combat. India also claimed it downed “a few planes” of Pakistan. Islamabad denied suffering any losses of planes.

A days-long war erupted between the two nuclear-armed countries in May this year, after India launched an attack inside Pakistan, weeks after blaming Pakistan for the Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK) attack in April that claimed lives of 26 tourists. Without providing any evidence, India claimed that its attack targeted terrorist infrastructure. The attack came despite Pakistan’s calling for a neutral investigation into the Kashmir attack.

On May 7, Indian jets bombed sites across the border, setting off an exchange of attacks between the two countries by fighter jets, missiles, drones, and artillery that killed dozens until the ceasefire was reached.

Pakistan told media that it shot down six Indian aircraft during the clashes, including French-made Rafale fighter jets. India has acknowledged some losses but denied losing six aircraft.

France’s air chief, General Jerome Bellanger, has previously said that he has seen evidence of the loss of three Indian fighters, including a Rafale. Indian Air Force has not commented on the claims.

The clashes between India and Pakistan ended with a ceasefire agreement, for which US President Donald Trump has repeatedly claimed credit. He announced on social media on May 10 that Washington held talks with both sides in this regard. India has differed with Trump’s claims that the ceasefire resulted from his intervention.

IAF claims implausible: defence minister

Meanwhile, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has also refuted the IAF chief’s belated claims of destroying Pakistani aircraft during ‘Operation Sindoor’, calling them “as implausible as they are ill-timed.”

In a statement, the defence minister said it was ironic that senior Indian military officers were being used to cover for the “monumental failure” of Indian politicians.

He highlighted that no such claims were made by India for three months following the conflict, whereas Pakistan immediately presented detailed technical briefings to international media.

Asif said that independent observers, world leaders, and foreign intelligence assessments widely acknowledged the loss of multiple Indian aircraft, including Rafales.

He said that not a single Pakistani aircraft was hit or destroyed. In contrast, he stated that Pakistan had destroyed six Indian jets, S-400 air defence batteries, and unmanned aircraft while swiftly disabling several Indian airbases. He added that Indian armed forces suffered “disproportionately heavier” losses on the Line of Control.

Challenging India’s narrative, the defence minister proposed that both sides open their aircraft inventories to independent verification, suggesting that this would expose the truth India seeks to hide. “Wars are not won by falsehoods but by moral authority, national resolve and professional competence,” he said.

He warned that such “comical narratives, crafted for domestic political expediency,” gravely increase the risks of strategic miscalculation in a nuclearised environment. He reiterated that, as demonstrated during ‘Operation Bunyanum Marsoos,’ any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would be met with a “swift, surefire and proportionate response.”

He concluded by stating that responsibility for any escalation would rest with leaders who “gamble with South Asia’s peace for fleeting political gains.”