In an unprecedented public admission, an Indian defence official acknowledged that Indian jets were downed by Pakistan during a major aerial clash, blaming “political constraints” imposed by the Modi government, rather than military failure.
Speaking at a seminar in Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar of the Indian Navy confirmed that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down Indian jets during the epic air battle that took place on 7 May — the largest dogfight since World War II.
“I do agree we did lose some aircraft,” Kumar confessed during the presentation, according to The Wire.
The Indian embassy in Jakarta, in a statement, explained that the presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership, unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood”.
However, he stopped short of giving an exact number, saying only that the losses weren’t as many as widely claimed.
Citing “political constraints” as the reason for aircraft losses, Kumar said India’s civilian leadership had instructed its Indian Air Force (IAF) not to target Pakistani military installations, which, he argued, gave Pakistan an operational advantage.
The rare admission has stirred political backlash back home.
Kumar, however, stated he “may not agree [with the claim of an Indonesian speaker] that we lost so many aircraft”.
“After the loss, we changed our tactics, and we went for the military installations.
“So, we first achieved suppression of enemy air defences, and then that’s why all our attacks could easily go through using Brahmos missiles,” the Indian defence attaché claimed.
According to The Wire report, Kumar said the IAF fighter jets were operating under strict political orders from the Modi government not to target Pakistani military installations or air defence systems.
Indian Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan later told Bloomberg in Singapore that the focus shouldn’t be on how many jets were lost, but on the reasons behind their loss: “What is important is that–not the jet being down, but why they were being down,” he said.
The PAF, earlier this month, confirmed shooting down six Indian fighter jets during a tense night-time exchange on May 7.
The clash followed an Indian missile strike targeting six locations across Pakistan, including areas in Sialkot, Bahawalpur, and Azad Jammu and Kashmir.
Among the aircraft brought down were three Rafale jets — French-made fighters that had been hailed as a major upgrade to India’s air power.
The confrontation came in the wake of a deadly attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam region, where 26 tourists lost their lives.
India quickly pointed fingers at Pakistan, accusing it of backing the attackers. But Pakistan strongly denied any involvement, saying the claims were baseless and politically motivated.
The events of that night marked one of the most serious military flare-ups between the two neighbours in years.
India’s opposition party, Congress, criticised the Modi government for what it called misleading the nation and failing to disclose how many aircraft were lost during “Operation Sandur.”
The air skirmish between the two nuclear-armed neighbours was one of the most serious in recent years, raising tensions across the region.
