NEW DELHI: An Indian defence expert has demanded evidence to back claims made by the Indian Air Force (IAF) Chief regarding the downing of Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor, as Pakistan rejected the assertions as baseless.
On Saturday, Indian Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh said that during Operation Sindoor, Indian forces shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one large military aircraft. The conflict between nuclear-armed South Asian neighbours took place between May 7 and 10.
Indian journalist and defence analyst Pravin Sawhney questioned the credibility of the Air Chief’s statement.
Speaking to Karan Thapar for the Indian news website The Wire, Sawhney said: “The Air Chief’s claim doesn’t stand to scrutiny at all. There are far too many gaps.”
He added, “Where is the evidence?” and suggested the remarks may have been prompted by “a last-minute instruction given to the Chief by somebody,” without speculating on who might have issued it.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif promptly dismissed the Indian claims, calling them “inappropriate” and “unfounded.”
Speaking on national media and in a post on social platform X, the Defence Minister said India had not destroyed a single Pakistani aircraft.
Asif claimed Pakistan had shot down six Indian fighter jets and inflicted significant damage to multiple Indian airbases.
“The Line of Control gave greater losses to India, which they didn’t publicly acknowledge,” Asif said.
US officials have told Reuters previously that they were unaware of any Pakistani aircraft being destroyed in the clashes, while Pakistan had promptly claimed the downing of six Indian jets, including a French-made Rafale.
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, Reuters reported.
The Indian Air Force has not commented on the French claim.
Pakistan’s Defence Minister challenged both countries to open their aircraft inventory records to independent international verification, asserting: “Lies do not win wars.”
Asif warned that any violation of Pakistan’s airspace by India would meet a “swift and effective response.”
He maintained that India has resorted to crafting “comical narratives” for domestic political purposes, saying such actions risk “grave strategic miscalculation in a nuclearised environment.”
