Pakistan claimed it shot down five Indian fighter jets on Wednesday, including three of the Indian Air Force’s prized French-made Rafales, following Indian missile strikes that left at least 26 dead and 46 wounded on Pakistani soil.
French intelligence sources confirmed to CNN that at least one Rafale was downed, with investigations underway into the fate of possibly more jets. If verified, it marks the first known combat loss for the highly touted multirole fighter.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar, who also serves as deputy prime minister, addressed parliament Wednesday, stating that the Pakistan Air Force deployed Chinese-made J-10C fighters in a precision operation to intercept Indian aircraft. He said the response targeted only those jets that “dropped payloads” during the overnight incursion.
“Our forces could have taken down 10 or 12 aircraft,” Dar said. “But there was a strict order – strike only those that fired.” Among those hit, he claimed, were three Rafales, a MiG-29, and an SU-30.
There has been no official comment from New Delhi on the loss of its warplanes.
The confrontation erupted following India’s missile barrage targeting what it described as “nine terrorist locations” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
The strikes came in the wake of a deadly April 22 attack in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, that left 26 people dead.
India has pinned the blame on Pakistan, citing cross-border militant links – an accusation Islamabad has firmly rejected.
“We proposed a neutral probe with third-party oversight,” Dar said. “But instead of cooperation, they sent missiles.”
Wednesday’s exchange marked one of the most dangerous escalations in recent years across the Line of Control (LoC) – the volatile, disputed frontier slicing through Kashmir. The Pakistani military said its forces responded in kind to Indian shelling and air attacks.
“The much-hyped Rafale jets failed miserably, and Indian pilots proved utterly incompetent,” Dar said, delivering a sharp rebuke aimed at New Delhi’s defense establishment.
Amid the diplomatic fallout, Dar revealed that key allies, including China, have rallied behind Pakistan. “The Chinese ambassador was at the Foreign Office by 4 a.m.,” he said. “We’ve shared everything.”
