ISLAMABAD (Web-Desk); Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday rejected as “implausible” and “comical” the Indian Air Force chief’s assertion that India had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft during clashes in May.
The remarks from Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh — made at an event in Bengaluru — are the first detailed claims from India three months after its worst military confrontation with Pakistan in decades.
Singh claimed India destroyed at least five Pakistani fighters and a large aircraft, allegedly a surveillance plane, from as far as 300 kilometres away, with most kills attributed to the Russian-made S-400 missile system. He also said airstrikes hit additional aircraft, including “a few F-16s” parked at bases in Sindh and Punjab, calling it “the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill.”
Pakistan had immediately refuted India’s earlier claims, saying it lost no aircraft during the May 7–10 conflict, while taking down six Indian jets, S-400 batteries, and unmanned aircraft, and disabling several Indian airbases.
In a statement posted on X, Asif called Singh’s comments “belated” and “ill-timed,” accusing Indian military leaders of fronting for “monumental failures caused by the strategic shortsightedness of Indian politicians.”
He reminded that Pakistan had presented detailed technical briefings to the international press within days of the conflict, while independent observers — including foreign intelligence sources — acknowledged the loss of multiple Indian aircraft, including Rafales.
He challenged India to open its aircraft inventory for independent verification, warning that “wars are not won by falsehoods but by moral authority, national resolve, and professional competence.”
Asif further cautioned that such “comical narratives” could lead to dangerous strategic miscalculations in a nuclearised environment, reiterating that any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would be met with a “swift, surefire, and proportionate” response.
Former ambassador Dr Maleeha Lodhi also mocked Singh’s claims, saying it was “laughable” that it took him months “to count the planes” before making the statement.
The May clashes were triggered by Indian accusations — strongly denied by Islamabad — linking Pakistan to a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. The fighting included air-to-air combat and strikes on each other’s airbases before a US-brokered ceasefire on May 10.
Multiple foreign reports, including from France’s air chief and The Washington Post, as well as comments by an Indian naval officer, have confirmed that Pakistan downed Indian aircraft, including Rafales, during the confrontation.
Defence analysts attribute India’s losses partly to faulty intelligence that underestimated the range of China-made PL-15 missiles used by Pakistan’s J-10 fighters, enabling a long-range strike from up to 200 km away.
