ISLAMABAD: In an extraordinary and bizarre outburst, Indian Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi has threatened to “wipe Pakistan off the map” if Islamabad does not end what he alleged was “state-sponsored terrorism.”
His comments, made at a military event in Rajasthan, follow earlier Indian claims that several Pakistani jets were shot down during the May 2025 clashes — assertions New Delhi has never substantiated with verifiable proof.
The remarks come as India’s military and political leadership face scrutiny over contradictory narratives surrounding Operation Sindoor, the four-day conflict in May. While Prime Minister Narendra Modi has claimed “victory,” his own commanders have indirectly acknowledged Pakistani successes, including the downing of Indian fighter jets.
The official claim of the Pakistani Air Force was that it had shot down six Indian aircraft, not seven. However, Anil Chauhan, the chief defense officer of the Indian armed forces, admitted in an interview with Bloomberg TV that they had lost an unspecified number of fighter jets… pic.twitter.com/Gn7qbNL8fn
— Truth-Seeker (@thunderbolt7404) July 9, 2025
General Anil Chauhan, India’s Chief of Defence Staff, and Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh have admitted operational limitations. In June, India’s defence attaché in Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, conceded that the Indian Air Force “lost some aircraft” on the night of May 7 after launching strikes on civilian sites in Pakistan.
Trump’s Account: “They Already Shot Down Seven Jets”
The contradictory Indian narrative was undermined by former U.S. President Donald Trump. Speaking at a White House briefing, Trump described the South Asia crisis as “raging” when fighter jets were shot down during the May clashes.
“The war with India and Pakistan was the next level that was going to be a nuclear war. They already shot down seven jets,” Trump said. “I told them, you’ve got 24 hours to settle it — and then there was no more war.”
Trump’s remarks, along with Indian officials’ own admissions, highlight the gap between Modi’s public boasts and battlefield realities, analysts say.
A Call for Responsibility
Regional security experts stress that India’s latest threats, coupled with its history of exaggerated claims, expose New Delhi’s dangerous appetite for escalation. Pakistan, they argue, has demonstrated both military capability and diplomatic maturity, while India’s leadership continues to indulge in reckless war talk that risks pushing South Asia toward catastrophe.
Analysts said India has long sought to construct narratives of military “successes” without providing credible evidence. Its most recent boast — that Indian forces downed fighter jets belonging to Pakistan — has never been confirmed by independent observers, satellite imagery, or wreckage.
Such unverified claims are part of a pattern in which Indian leaders use aggressive rhetoric to stoke domestic nationalist fervor while avoiding accountability.
Security experts in Islamabad described Dwivedi’s remarks as reckless bluster. “Threatening to erase a sovereign nuclear state from the map is not military strategy — it is war-mongering of the most irresponsible kind,” said a former Pakistani diplomat.
Analysts argue that New Delhi’s saber-rattling reflects domestic political pressures and attempts to distract from internal crises and human rights controversies. “When India runs out of diplomatic arguments, it returns to threatening Pakistan,” one defense analyst noted.
Pakistan has repeatedly emphasized that it does not seek escalation, but will respond decisively to any aggression. Officials underline that regional peace cannot be built on threats, propaganda, and fabricated claims. Islamabad insists that diplomacy, dialogue, and restraint — not reckless posturing — are the only viable path to stability in South Asia.
