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04-10-2025
Bureau Report
NEW DELHI: India downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class during the intense fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in May, Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh said on Friday.
Although Singh had previously said that five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft were shot down during the conflict, this is the first time New Delhi has mentioned the class of jets in public.
“As far as air defence part is concerned, we have evidence of one long range strike…along with that five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells us,” Singh told reporters at the Indian Air Force annual day press conference.
The F-16 is a US-made fighter jet while the JF-17 is of Chinese origin.
Pakistan’s military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.
Pakistan has said it shot down six Indian fighter jets during the conflict, including the French-made Rafale. India has acknowledged some losses but denied losing six aircraft.
On Friday, Singh declined to respond to questions on Pakistan’s claim of downing Indian jets.
The May fighting, the worst between the old foes in decades, was sparked by an attack on Hindu tourists in Indian Kashmir, which New Delhi said was backed by Pakistan.
Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, artillery and drones during the four-day conflict, killing dozens of people, before agreeing to a ceasefire.
Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack, which killed 26 men and was the worst assault on civilians in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008.
India said in July that three “terrorists” involved in the attack had been killed, and there was “lot of proof” that they were Pakistanis.
Pakistan’s foreign ministry had questioned the credibility of India’s account of the events, saying it was “replete with fabrications”.
Ties between the countries, which have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, have been downgraded since the attack, with the impact being felt in areas ranging from trade and travel to sports.
India has also kept in abeyance a key water-sharing treaty, a move Pakistan termed an “act of war”.
Earlier, The Indian home minister’s account of forces killing who he said were three Pakistanis involved in the April attack on Hindu tourists in the Jammu and Kashmir federal territory was “replete with fabrications”, Pakistan’s foreign ministry said on Wednesday.
Indian Home Minister Amit Shah told parliament on Tuesday that the three militants killed in a gun battle in a Kashmir forest this week were the perpetrators of the April 22 attack and that New Delhi had found evidence to back it.
Pakistan has denied involvement in the attack in which 26 men were shot dead, the worst assault on civilians in India since the 2008 Mumbai attacks and sought an independent investigation.
“The account given by the Indian home minister is replete with fabrications, leading to serious questions about its credibility,” Pakistan’s foreign ministry said in a statement.
The attackers, who India said were Pakistani nationals backed by Islamabad, had opened fire in a valley popular with tourists in Kashmir’s scenic, mountainous region of Pahalgam, before fleeing into the surrounding pine forests.
