ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday dismissed as “implausible” and “comical” the Indian Air Force chief’s recent claim that India destroyed six Pakistani aircraft during the May military clash.
Speaking at an event in Bengaluru, Indian Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh claimed India had downed at least five Pakistani fighter jets and one large military aircraft during “Operation Sindoor.”
He said the larger aircraft, possibly a surveillance plane, was hit at a distance of 300 kilometres, and alleged that most of the strikes were carried out using India’s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system.
In a post on X, Defence Minister Asif rejected the claims, saying no Pakistani aircraft had been hit or destroyed. He said Pakistan had instead destroyed six Indian jets, S-400 air defence batteries, and unmanned aircraft, while also putting several Indian airbases out of action.
“The belated assertions made by the Indian Air Force chief regarding alleged destruction of Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor are as implausible as they are ill-timed,” Asif said.
“It is ironic how senior Indian military officers are being used as the faces of monumental failure caused by the strategic shortsightedness of Indian politicians.”
“The belated assertions made by the Indian Air Force Chief regarding alleged destruction of Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor are as implausible as they are ill-timed. It is also ironic how senior Indian military officers are being used as the faces of monumental…
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) August 9, 2025
Asif said Pakistan had immediately briefed international media and independent observers following the May 7–10 clashes, and that there was “widespread acknowledgment” from sources including world leaders, senior Indian politicians, and foreign intelligence assessments of India’s losses, including Rafale jets. He challenged India to open its aircraft inventories for independent verification.
“Such comical narratives, crafted for domestic political expediency, increase the grave risks of strategic miscalculation in a nuclearised environment,” he warned, adding that any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would draw a “swift, surefire and proportionate” response.
The May conflict was triggered by the Pahalgam incident in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir. The hostilities included air-to-air combat and reciprocal strikes on airbases before a US-brokered ceasefire was reached on 10 May.
While New Delhi has previously claimed to have downed “a few planes,” French Air Force chief General Jerome Bellanger has said he has seen evidence of the loss of three Indian fighters, including a Rafale.
The Washington Post, citing visual evidence analysed by experts, reported that at least two French-made Indian fighter jets were shot down by Pakistan.
India’s defence attaché to Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, was also quoted by The Wire as acknowledging that Indian fighter jets were lost, attributing operational constraints to strict political orders from the Modi government aimed at avoiding escalation.
