Hours after India said it had downed many "high-tech" Pakistani fighter jets, Islamabad admitted on Sunday that its jet indeed suffered damage due to the Indian armed forces' attack. However, it downplayed India's revelation, claiming only one of its jets was damaged.
Addressing a press conference, Pakistan Army spokesman Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry said the purpose of the briefing was to apprise about the conduct and conclusion of “Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos”.
He claimed that “only one aircraft” of Pakistan suffered “minor damage”, without providing details about the aircraft, reported PTI.
He also said no Indian pilot was in Pakistan's custody.
India downed Pakistani jets
IAF officer, Air Marshal AK Bharti, director general of air operations, said on Sunday that India shot down a few high-tech fighter jets of the Pakistan Air Force during Operation Sindoor. He indicated that there were combat losses on the Indian side, too, but the fighter pilots were back home. He, however, refused to reveal the number of planes India downed.
Also read: ‘Pakistani jets shot down during Operation Sindoor’
{{/usCountry}}Also read: ‘Pakistani jets shot down during Operation Sindoor’
{{/usCountry}}"We don’t have the wreckage as their (PAF) planes were prevented from entering our airspace. But we have downed a few planes. I have the numbers, and we are getting into the technical details to establish it. But I would not like to reveal the figure at this time,” Air Marshal Bharti was quoted as saying by HT.
Asked if IAF suffered losses, Bharti said losses were a part of combat. He, however, didn't elaborate on India's losses.
Also read: Satellite images show damage India wrought on Pakistan military
“The question you must ask is if we have achieved our objective of decimating the terrorist camps. The answer is a thumping yes, and the results are for the world to see. As for the details...what could have been, how many numbers...which platform did we lose...I would not like to comment on that because we are still in a combat situation. If I do, it will only be –– advantage adversary. All I can say is that we have achieved our objectives and all our pilots are back home,” he added.
The tensions between India and Pakistan escalated after the latter attacked Indian civilian areas and military infrastructure following New Delhi's strikes on terrorist installations in the Shehbaz Sharif-led country and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian armed forces thwarted most of these attacks and wreaked significant damage to Pakistan's air bases in counterattacks.
India and Pakistan on Saturday agreed to a ceasefire "understanding" after the latter's DGMO called his Indian counterpart. Hours later, Pakistan again fired drones at Indian cities, prompting New Delhi to issue a stern warning of retaliation.