Unresolved Claims: What We Know About Pakistan’s Assertion of Downed Indian Fighter Aircraft
Four days after India and Pakistan agreed to a ceasefire following a rapid military escalation, key differences regarding their battlefield claims remain unresolved. A significant point of contention is Pakistan’s assertion that it successfully shot down five Indian Made Fighter Aircraft on May 7, the initial day of hostilities, in retaliation for Indian strikes on its territory. As a battle of narratives replaces the actual fighting, Shock Naue examines the available information surrounding this claim and its potential significance if proven true.
What Happened?
Military confrontation escalated between India and Pakistan on May 7 after India conducted airstrikes on nine sites across six cities in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India stated these strikes targeted “terrorist infrastructure” in response to the deadly April 22 killings of tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir by suspected rebels. Gunmen killed 25 male tourists and a local pony rider in Pahalgam, provoking outrage and calls for retribution in India. New Delhi accused Pakistan of supporting the militants responsible, a charge Islamabad denied.
Pakistan reported that Indian forces struck two cities in Pakistan-administered Kashmir and four sites in Punjab province on May 7, stating that civilians were killed. India’s Defence Minister Rajnath Singh rejected these Pakistani claims, asserting that Indian forces “struck only those who harmed our innocents.”
Over the subsequent four days, the two nuclear-armed neighbors engaged in reciprocal strikes on each other’s airbases and deployed drones into their territories. Amid fears of a nuclear exchange, top United States officials intervened, urging both Indian and Pakistani officials to de-escalate the conflict. On May 10, US President Donald Trump announced that Washington had successfully mediated a ceasefire, which has largely held despite initial accusations of violations by both sides.
Pakistan reported on Tuesday that Indian strikes resulted in at least 51 deaths, including 11 soldiers and several children. India stated that at least five military personnel and 16 civilians died on their side.
Shop damaged by shelling in Gingal village, Uri district, Indian-administered Kashmir, during conflict with Pakistan.
What Has Pakistan Claimed?
Pakistan’s Information Minister Attaullah Tarar asserted shortly after the May 7 attacks that Islamabad had shot down five Indian jets, a drone, and numerous quadcopters in retaliation. Later that day, Pakistan’s military spokesperson Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry specified that the warplanes were downed inside Indian territory and that neither side’s aircraft crossed into the other’s airspace during the attacks—a point India corroborated.
British defence analyst Michael Clarke noted that “Neither India nor Pakistan had any need to send their own aircraft out of their own national airspace.” Clarke, a visiting professor at King’s College, London, added that their standoff weapons possessed sufficient range to hit targets while flying within their own airspace.
On Friday, Pakistan’s Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, the deputy chief of operations, claimed that among the five downed aircraft were three Rafales, a MiG-29, and an Su-30. He provided electronic signatures and the exact locations where the planes were allegedly hit. Ahmed stated that the aerial confrontation between Pakistani and Indian jets lasted just over an hour. He claimed the engagement involved at least 60 Indian aircraft, including 14 French-made Rafales, while Pakistan deployed 42 “hi-tech aircraft,” among them American F-16s and Chinese jf 17 fighter aircraft and J-10s. The overall strength and deployment patterns, including how many fighter aircraft does india have, are key aspects analysts examine.
What Has Been India’s Response?
After Chinese state news outlet The Global Times reported that Pakistan had brought down Indian fighter planes, India’s embassy in China characterized the report as “disinformation.” Beyond this, New Delhi has not formally confirmed or denied Pakistan’s claims.
When specifically asked whether Pakistan had succeeded in downing Indian jets, India’s Director General of Air Operations AK Bharti avoided a direct answer. He stated, “We are in a combat scenario and losses are a part of it. As for details, at this time I would not like to comment on that as we are still in combat and give advantage to the adversary. All our pilots are back home.”
What Else Do We Know?
Beyond official accounts, various local and international media outlets have reported versions supporting parts of Pakistan’s claims about downing jets.
Indian security sources told Al Jazeera that three fighter jets crashed inside Indian-controlled territory. While they did not confirm the nationality of the warplanes, with neither side claiming Pakistani planes entered Indian airspace, any wreckage found in Indian-controlled territory is likely from an Indian aircraft.
Reuters news agency also cited four government sources in Indian-administered Kashmir reporting that three fighter jets crashed in the region. Reports from CNN indicated at least two jets crashed, while a French source told the US outlet that at least one Rafale jet had been shot down. Evaluating factors like the total number of operational aircraft and how many fighter aircraft india have available for deployment becomes relevant when considering potential losses.
Photos captured by AP news agency photojournalists depicted debris of an aircraft in the Pulwama district in Indian-administered Kashmir.
Will Both Sides Ever Agree on What Happened?
Defence analyst Clarke suggested that if India has indeed lost a Rafale jet, it would undoubtedly be “embarrassing.” He added, “If it came down inside Indian territory, which must be the case if one was destroyed, then India will want to keep it only as a rumour for as long as possible.”
Clarke commented that India has stated that “losses” are inevitable in a combat scenario, and that this is probably “as near as they will get to admitting a specific aircraft loss for a while.”
In conclusion, the claims made by Pakistan regarding the downing of multiple Indian Made Fighter Aircraft during the May 7 escalation remain a significant point of dispute in the aftermath of the India-Pakistan ceasefire. While India has refrained from a direct denial, official statements acknowledge that “losses are a part of it.” Reports from various external sources appear to support the idea that at least some Indian aircraft crashed within Indian-controlled territory. The full picture of the aerial engagement and the precise outcome for the aircraft involved remains obscured by the differing narratives presented by both sides.
Source: Al Jazeera
