India’s top general replies to Pakistan’s allegation of it downing six jets

(MENAFN) India’s Chief of Defense Staff, General Anil Chauhan, has firmly denied Pakistan’s claim that it downed six Indian jets during last month’s four-day military confrontation. In his first interview with international media since the standoff, Chauhan emphasized that India had learned from early mistakes and adapted its tactics to gain the upper hand.

Speaking to Bloomberg at the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore, Chauhan stated, “It’s not about how many jets were downed, but why. The key takeaway is that we identified our tactical errors, corrected them, and re-engaged with long-range precision strikes.” He did not confirm any specific Indian losses.

In a separate interview with Reuters, the general said India had changed its approach after initial setbacks on May 7, when it began striking what it labeled as terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan. “We revised our strategy and returned on the 7th, 8th, and 10th to target air bases deep within Pakistan, successfully breaching their air defenses,” he added.

India has consistently dismissed Islamabad’s assertions regarding downed aircraft but has largely remained silent on its own reported losses.

During a May 11 media briefing, Indian Air Force Director General of Air Operations, Air Marshal Bharti, acknowledged the realities of combat but stressed the mission’s success: “Losses are part of warfare. The critical question is whether we neutralized the terrorist camps — and we absolutely did.”

The conflict was triggered by a deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir, where 26 civilians were killed. India blamed the assault on a Pakistan-based terrorist group. Pakistan denied any involvement, claiming it too suffers from terrorism.

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