New Delhi: India has rubbished Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Asif’s claim that Islamabad shot down two Indian planes and one Indian drone.
No Indian jet has been lost in the military strikes on terror targets in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir in response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, India Today reported, quoting top government sources.
Speaking to CNN, Public Relations (ISPR) Director General Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry initially said: “I can confirm that two aircraft of Indian Air force have been taken down. The locations I have so far are around Bhatinda and Akhnoor in India.”
State broadcaster PTV further reported that Pakistan Air Force had shot down another Indian Rafale aircraft 17 nautical miles southwest of Awantipora.
Later, Pakistan’s defence minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif told news agency Reuters that India has lost five planes.
Indian journalists and netizens, however, called out Pakistan for spreading fake news on retaliation to India’s attack. They pointed out that the picture shared by Hamid Mir, Pakistani journalist and columnist, and X user, Naya Pakistan, is of 2021 MiG-21 crash near Moga in Punjab. They also advised International News agencies like Reuters to stop relying on Pakistani sources.
Without lies Pakistan cannot survive. Lol.
No india aircraft has been lost. pic.twitter.com/avUvhFhQOV— Avi M 🛸🇮🇳🕉️ (@AvirupM42) May 6, 2025
Chinese state-run media outlet CGTN also posted picture of a fireball, claiming that Pakistan Air Force shot down three Indian fighter jets in response to overnight airstrikes carried out by India at multiple locations in Pakistan.
The #Pakistan Air Force has shot down three Indian fighter jets in response to overnight airstrikes carried out by #India at multiple locations in Pakistan, sources from the Pakistani military said on Wednesday.
The Indian army has not confirmed on this. https://t.co/6dfcXitJjU pic.twitter.com/rFEE7SWdOU
— CGTN (@CGTNOfficial) May 6, 2025
However, the picture is at least 3 weeks old and was peddled by Pakistani accounts towards the end of April as the Line of Control. Now, it has become a crashed Indian jet.
Notably, India had carried out the strikes from its own air space.
PIB Fact-Check also confirmed that a video being shared by Pakistani accounts, claiming downing of another Indian fighter plane, is from February 2025 and depicts the crash of an Indian Air Force (IAF) Mirage 2000 aircraft near Shivpuri, Gwalior, which occurred during a routine training mission.
It also rubbished social media posts, claiming that Pakistan destroyed Indian Brigade Headquarters.
Earlier, Chaudhry had said that eight people were killed and 22 injured after Indian missiles struck multiple locations in Kotli, Bahawalpur, Muridke, Bagh and Muzaffarabad. “All of our air force jets are airborne. This cowardly and shameful attack was carried out from within India’s airspace. They were never allowed to come and intrude into the space of Pakistan,” The Dawn reported, quoting him.
Also Read: India Avenges Pahalgam, Attacks Terror Bases In Pakistan, PoK
Also Read: Operation Sindoor: 12 Terrorists Killed, Over 55 Injured; Pak Threatens Retaliation
Early this morning, India launched Operation Sindoor, a precise and restrained response to the April 22 Pahalgam attack, in which 26 civilians were killed. The headquarters of the banned Jaish-e-Mohammed in Bahawalpur and Lashkar-e-Taiba groups in Muridke, were among the nine sites targeted in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied-Jammu and Kashmir.
Also Read: Knew Something Was Going To Happen, Donald Trump’ Reacts To Operation Sindoor [Watch]
