Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif strongly rejected claims by India’s air chief that the Indian Air Force (IAF) shot down six Pakistani aircraft during the May military confrontation. In a post on X, Asif called the claims “implausible” and “comical,” and said they were aimed at covering up India’s failures. His comments follow Indian Air Chief Marshal AP Singh’s recent assertion that India downed five Pakistani fighter jets and a large military aircraft during the clashes.
Speaking in Bengaluru, Singh said most of the aircraft were destroyed using the Russian-made S-400 missile system, and that surveillance planes and F-16s parked in hangars were also hit. However, these claims came more than three months after the May 7–10 conflict, during which Pakistan had already publicly claimed to have downed six Indian jets. India had, until now, acknowledged only “some losses” without offering specifics.
Khawaja Asif accused India of using military officers to spin a false narrative for domestic political purposes. He said no Pakistani aircraft was hit or destroyed, while Pakistan downed multiple Indian assets, including advanced jets, drones, and S-400 batteries. He also challenged India to allow independent verification of aircraft inventories. He warned that such “fabricated narratives” only increase risks of escalation between two nuclear-armed nations.
“The belated assertions made by the Indian Air Force Chief regarding alleged destruction of Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor are as implausible as they are ill-timed. It is also ironic how senior Indian military officers are being used as the faces of monumental…
— Khawaja M. Asif (@KhawajaMAsif) August 9, 2025
The May conflict began after India accused Pakistan of a deadly attack in occupied Kashmir’s Pahalgam — a claim Islamabad strongly denied. The fighting led to tit-for-tat airstrikes until US intervention helped enforce a ceasefire on May 10. International reports, including from *The Washington Post* and France’s air chief, supported Pakistan’s account of downing Indian jets, including Rafales. Visual evidence reportedly showed two Indian fighters destroyed.
India’s own defence attaché in Indonesia reportedly admitted last month that Pakistani jets shot down Indian aircraft, blaming political restrictions from Prime Minister Modi’s government. Critics in India have since slammed the Modi administration for showing weak resolve during the crisis. Khawaja Asif concluded that Pakistan remains fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and will respond “swiftly and proportionately” to any future violations.