Pakistan Blasts India’s Claim of Downing Six Jets as “Implausible”

(MENAFN) Pakistan on Saturday firmly rejected India’s assertion that it shot down six Pakistani aircraft, including five fighter jets, during the intense four-day conflict last May between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.

Pakistani Defense Minister Khawaja Asif labeled the Indian claim as “implausible” and “ill-timed” in a forceful statement.

"Not a single Pakistani aircraft was hit or destroyed by India," Asif declared.

He further condemned the late claim as both inaccurate and a “desperate attempt” to conceal what he described as a “monumental failure” of India’s military tactics, rooted in the “strategic shortsightedness” of its political leadership.

“For three months, no such claims were voiced,” Asif emphasized.

Highlighting Pakistan’s transparency, he noted, “In the immediate aftermath of the conflict, Pakistan presented detailed technical briefings to the international media, while independent observers acknowledged the loss of multiple Indian aircraft, including Rafales. These admissions were corroborated by world leaders, senior Indian politicians, and foreign intelligence assessments.”

Asif also asserted that Pakistani forces had successfully destroyed six Indian jets, S-400 air defense systems, and unmanned aerial vehicles, while rapidly disabling several Indian airbases during the confrontation.

The Indian Air Force chief, Amar Preet Singh, had made the claim earlier on Saturday, stating that New Delhi had downed six Pakistani aircraft, five of which were fighter jets, during the May clashes.

These claims emerged three months after a series of cross-border skirmishes, sparked by an April 22 attack on a tourist resort in Indian-administered Kashmir.

India blamed Pakistan for the attack, which Islamabad denied, calling instead for an impartial investigation.

Following a swift exchange of strikes, US President Donald Trump announced a ceasefire on May 10, effectively ending the hostilities.

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