'Comical': Asif rejects Indian air chief’s claim of downing six Pakistani aircraft

Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday dismissed as “implausible” recent claims by Indian Air Force (IAF) chief Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh that India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during clashes in May.

Speaking in Bengaluru, Singh said the IAF destroyed the aircraft during Operation Sindoor, including a large surveillance plane, and that most of the strikes were carried out using Russian-made S-400 missile systems.

He also claimed that airstrikes hit additional Pakistani aircraft, including F-16s, at two airbases in Sindh and Punjab, calling it “the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill.”

In response, Asif said no Pakistani aircraft was destroyed in the fighting, and that Pakistan had instead downed six Indian jets, S-400 air defence batteries, and unmanned aircraft, while disabling several Indian airbases. He noted that Pakistan had presented detailed technical briefings to international media immediately after the clashes, which, he said, were corroborated by independent observers and foreign intelligence assessments acknowledging Indian aircraft losses.

Asif challenged both sides to open their aircraft inventories for independent verification and warned that “false narratives” could increase the risk of strategic miscalculation in a nuclear environment.

Former diplomat Dr Maleeha Lodhi also criticised the IAF chief’s remarks, calling them “laughable” and noting the delay in making the claim.

The May 7–10 conflict was triggered by Indian allegations, denied by Islamabad, that Pakistan was involved in a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam. Both sides carried out strikes on each other’s airbases before a ceasefire was brokered by the United States on May 10.