By Staff Reporter
ISLAMABAD: A former Chinese defence attache on Sunday dismissed India’s claim that it shot down six Pakistani aircraft during a May conflict, calling it “self-amusement” and pointing to a lack of evidence.
Cheng Xizhong, a senior research fellow at the Charhar Institute and former United Nations senior military observer, said India’s allegations were “widely questioned by the international community, being considered groundless,” according to the Associated Press of Pakistan.
India’s Air Chief Marshal Amar Preet Singh claimed on Saturday that Indian forces had downed five Pakistani fighter jets and one other military aircraft during the May clashes, a statement that came three months after the conflict and followed international reports of Indian losses. Pakistan swiftly rejected the assertion, with Defence Minister Khawaja Asif calling it “belated” and baseless.
Cheng described Singh’s remarks as “comical, implausible and unconvincing.” He noted that India had failed to provide evidence such as wreckage photos or radar data, while Pakistan had previously shared detailed technical reports with international media. “We may call it self-amusement,” Cheng said in a statement reported by the APP.
Pakistan has maintained it downed six Indian aircraft during the conflict, including three Rafale fighters, one Su-30MKI, and one MiG-29. The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) also claimed to have destroyed Indian S-400 air defence positions and unmanned aircraft, while disabling several Indian airbases.
The May 7 air battle, which lasted about an hour, saw Pakistan deploy 42 high-tech aircraft in a defensive strategy, according to Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed, PAF’s deputy chief of operations. Speaking at a press briefing two days after the clash, he said Pakistan tracked over 70 Indian aircraft, including 14 Rafales, and downed five Indian jets, four along the Line of Control and one near Bathinda in northwest India. One jet was felled by Pakistani air defence systems.
Ahmed described the engagement as a “textbook case of modern aerial warfare,” noting that Pakistan’s Electromagnetic Operational Environment had detected and countered Indian threats instantly. The PAF did not cross the border or engage in close combat, he added.
International accounts have supported Pakistan’s claims. A Reuters report highlighted India’s intelligence failure during the battle, which led to the downing of Rafale aircraft by Pakistan’s J-10 fighters using PL-15 missiles. The Washington Post, citing visual evidence analysed by experts, reported that at least two French-made Indian fighters were shot down. France’s air chief, General Jerome Bellanger, previously stated he had seen evidence of three Indian fighters lost, including a Rafale, though the Indian Air Force did not comment on these claims.
India’s defence attache to Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, acknowledged in June that the PAF had downed Indian fighters. US President Donald Trump also referenced “five jets” shot down during the conflict.
Cheng pointed to “confirmations from world leaders, senior Indian politicians, and foreign intelligence assessments” that India suffered heavy losses. “It is thus evident that no Pakistani fighter jet was hit or destroyed by the Indian side,” he said, adding that Pakistan’s reported achievements were “an indisputable fact.”
Copyright © 2021 Independent Pakistan | All rights reserved
