A report submitted to the US Congress has mentioned Pakistan’s “military success” over India during the four-day conflict in May this year, stating that Pakistan used Chinese weapons to down French Rafale fighter jets used by India.
“Pakistan’s military success over India in its four-day clash showcased Chinese weaponry,” read the report by the United States-China Economic and Security Review Commission of the US government legislative branch.
The May conflict, the worst clash between the two nuclear-armed neighbours in decades, was triggered by an attack on tourists in Indian Illegally Occupied Kashmir, which New Delhi blamed on Pakistan without presenting evidence. Islamabad rejected the allegation, calling India’s account “replete with fabrications”.
India then launched strikes inside Pakistan, triggering four days of intense cross-border conflict that killed at least 70 people.
Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said Pakistan shot down six Indian fighter jets in response to Indian missile attacks. Islamabad has denied any losses of its planes during the clash.
The two countries agreed to a ceasefire brokered by US President Donald Trump who says seven “brand new, beautiful planes” were shot down during the escalation.
“The PLA’s [People’s Liberation Army of China] fighter jets and air-to-air missiles received their first combat use as Pakistani forces successfully flew Chinese-made fighters during a four-day conflict with India.
“This marks the first known instance of these systems being tested in actual combat, providing the PLA valuable data and potentially boosting the credibility of China’s defense exports,” the US report read.
As Pakistan’s largest defense supplier, China provided approximately 82% of the country’s arms imports from 2019 to 2023, it claimed.
Separately, Russia on Wednesday offered its help in mediating Pakistan’s conflicts with India and Afghanistan, amid ongoing tensions between the neighbouring countries.
Islamabad’s relations with India have remained tense since the four-day war in May, while the Afghan Taliban regime also drew Pakistan into a brief skirmish last month.
Speaking during a discussion organised by the Institute of Strategic Studies Islamabad, Russia’s Ambassador to Islamabad, Albert Khorev, said that his country stood ready to mediate the conflicts between Pakistan and India, as well as between Pakistan and Afghanistan.
“We also share mutual concern about regional security, especially the situation in Afghanistan, and support continued cooperation to ensure peace, counter terrorism and contribute to social and economic development,” he added.
Ambassador Khorev maintained that Russia views Pakistan as an important regional partner, saying that the country held significance in Russian President Vladimir Putin’s initiative to establish the Greater Eurasian Partnership.
He said that the initiative proposed that “regional problems should be solved by regional actors”.
The Russian envoy was of the view that tensions in relations between South Asian countries were “often provoked by external states”.
Islamabad has repeatedly expressed gratitude to friendly countries for making efforts to mediate tensions with Afghanistan.
Earlier this month, the Foreign Office said that Pakistan welcomed any efforts aimed at mediating tensions between bordering nations.
“We welcome Iran’s efforts at mediation. We are confident that they can play an important role in mediation,” the FO spokesperson said after Iran extended the offer for the same.
Islamabad has also expressed regret over the breakdown of the peace negotiations, mediated by Qatar and Turkiye, with the Afghan Taliban after the two nations engaged in week-long border clashes last month.