Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif on Saturday dismissed as “implausible” and “comical” recent claims by the Indian Air Force (IAF) chief that India had downed five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft during clashes in May.
The remarks from Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh came three months after the most intense Pakistan-India military confrontation in decades. While Pakistan maintains it destroyed six Indian aircraft in the May 7 engagement, India had previously denied such losses. Singh, speaking at an event in Bengaluru, alleged that “at least five fighters” and “one large aircraft” — possibly a surveillance plane — were destroyed, some at a distance of 300 kilometres. He claimed most were taken down by India’s Russian-made S-400 missile system, backed by electronic tracking data. Singh also alleged strikes on a surveillance aircraft and “a few F-16s” inside hangars at two Pakistani air bases in Sindh and Punjab, calling it “the largest ever recorded surface-to-air kill.”
In response, Asif ridiculed the belated claims, saying they were not only unrealistic but also politically motivated. He noted that for three months, no such assertions had been made, while Pakistan had immediately provided detailed technical briefings to global media and independent observers — many of whom confirmed multiple Indian aircraft losses, including Rafales.
Asif stressed that “not a single Pakistani aircraft was hit,” while Pakistan destroyed six Indian jets, S-400 batteries, and drones, and disabled multiple Indian airbases. He said Indian forces also suffered heavier losses along the Line of Control.
Challenging India’s narrative, Asif proposed that both countries open their aircraft inventories for independent verification — a move he suggested would expose the truth India is trying to hide. He warned that such “comical” fabrications could lead to dangerous miscalculations in a nuclear-armed region.
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The minister reaffirmed that any violation of Pakistan’s sovereignty would be met with a “swift, decisive, and proportionate” response, with full responsibility for escalation falling on what he called “strategically blind” Indian leadership.
Pakistan’s Air Force, which primarily operates Chinese-made jets and US-supplied F-16s, continues to deny that India shot down any of its aircraft during the May 7–10 clashes.