Key points
- Downed jets included 3 French-made Rafale fighters: Pakistan Air Force
- One MiG-29 and one Su-30 aircraft were also brought down: ISPR
- India has publicly denied losing any aircraft
- French intelligence official confirmed to CNN downing of at least one Rafale jet
ISLAMABAD: An “unprecedented air battle” between Pakistani and Indian air forces took place over the night between May 6 and 7 when India attacked Pakistan, targeting multiple locations including places of worship and homes.
Responding to the attacks, Pakistan Air Force shot down five Indian fighter jets including three French-made Rafale fighters, one MiG-29 and one Su-30 aircraft.
The dogfight lasted for over an hour, making it one of the longest aerial clashes in modern aviation history according to CNN.
India, however, has publicly denied losing any aircraft.
“Irrefutable evidence”
In a joint press conference on Friday, Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, along with Pakistan Air Force (PAF) Director General Public Relations Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed and Naval Staff (Operations) Deputy Chief Vice Admiral Raja Rab Nawaz, revealed what they described as “irrefutable evidence” of the downing of five Indian fighter jets during the prolonged aerial confrontation over the night between May 6-7.
“Despite India’s claims, several Indian news outlets initially reported the crashes, only for those reports to be taken down shortly afterwards, under pressure from the Modi government,” the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) director general (DG) said.
Footage and other material
During the press briefing, Pakistani officials presented footage and other material evidence, including tail numbers and crash site coordinates, to substantiate their claims.
Among the most compelling evidence, they said, was the tail fin of a Rafale jet identified as part of the Indian Air Force’s 17 Golden Arrows Squadron, labelled BS-001.
Video clips also showed a damaged engine, which Pakistani officials claimed belonged to one of the destroyed Indian aircraft.
“We are living in the 21st century, not the 18th—every action leaves a trace,” Lt General Chaudhry said, emphasising the forensic reliability of the debris shown.
Further corroborating the Pakistani claims, a BBC correspondent reporting from Indian-administered Kashmir said residents of Pampore heard a loud explosion on the night of May 6, suspected to be from a jet crash.
Another similar incident
Another similar incident was reported in the Ramban district of Jammu in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK).
Veteran Indian analyst Praveen Sawhney also added weight to the reports, stating that evidence pointed to the loss of at least three Indian jets over Jammu and Kashmir during the same time frame.
He cited reports from India Today, The Indian Express, and The Hindu, the latter of which reportedly deleted a story about a crash near Bathinda just 40 minutes after it was published.
Sawhney, along with senior journalist Karan Thapar, was allegedly blocked from appearing on Indian media platform The Wire after publicly discussing these reports.
Lt General Chaudhry concluded by stressing that the PAF’s actions were strictly defensive in nature and taken to uphold Pakistan’s sovereignty.
