Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday dismissed recent remarks by the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief claiming the destruction of Pakistani jets during Operation Sindoor, calling them \u201cimplausible\u201d and \u201cill-timed.\u201dHis remarks came hours after IAF Air Chief Marshal AP Singh alleged that India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in May \u2014 the first such statement by the country months after its worst military conflict in decades with its neighbour. According to the Indian air chief, most of the Pakistani aircraft were downed by India’s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system. He cited electronic tracking data as confirmation of the strikes. “We have at least five fighters confirmed killed, and one large aircraft,” he said, adding that the large aircraft, which could be a surveillance plane, was shot down at a distance of 300 km. “This is actually the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill,” he said, prompting applause from the crowd that included serving air force officers, veterans, and government and industry officials. Islamabad, whose air force primarily operates Chinese-made jets and US F-16s, has previously denied that India downed any Pakistani aircraft during the May 7-10 fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbours. Pakistan has said that it shot down six Indian aircraft during the clashes, including a French-made Rafale fighter. 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. Talking to X today, the defence minister said it was \u201cironic\u201d that senior Indian military officers were being used as the \u201cfaces of monumental failure\u201d caused by the \u201cstrategic shortsightedness\u201d of Indian politicians. He noted that for three months after the operation, no such claims had been made, while Pakistan had immediately presented detailed technical briefings to the international media. According to him, independent observers had recorded widespread acknowledgement of the loss of multiple Indian aircraft, including Rafales, from sources ranging from world leaders and senior Indian politicians to foreign intelligence assessments. \u201cNot a single Pakistani aircraft was hit or destroyed by India,\u201d he stated. \u00a0 Asif said Pakistan had destroyed six Indian jets, S-400 air defence batteries and unmanned aircraft, while swiftly putting several Indian airbases out of action. He added that the Indian armed forces had suffered disproportionately heavier losses along the Line of Control. The minister challenged both countries to open their aircraft inventories for independent verification, expressing doubt that India would agree, as it would \u201clay bare the reality\u201d it sought to obscure. He cautioned that \u201cwars are not won by falsehoods\u201d but by \u201cmoral authority, national resolve and professional competence,\u201d warning that such \u201ccomical narratives\u201d for \u201cdomestic political expediency\u201d risked grave strategic miscalculations in a nuclearised environment. Asif reaffirmed that, as demonstrated during Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, \u201cevery violation of Pakistan\u2019s sovereignty and territorial integrity will invite swift, surefire and proportionate response,\u201d and responsibility for escalation would rest entirely with \u201cstrategically blind leaders who gamble with South Asia\u2019s peace for fleeting political gains.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"
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