Believe it or not, India faced absolute defeat by Pakistan in May clash: Congress leader

• The former CM says India was totally defeated on the first day of the battle.
• The IAF was completely grounded due to Pakistan’s dominance: Chavan.
• Chavan says there was a high possibility of an IAF jet being shot down.

While New Delhi continues to make bold claims about the Pakistan-India war months after the May conflict, a politician from the neighboring country said his side completely lost the battle during the May conflict.

“Accept it or not, we were completely defeated in the half-hour air engagement that took place on May 7. On the first day (of Operation Sindoor), we were completely defeated,” former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan was quoted as saying in a recent statement by the News Agency of India (ANI).

The former CM further said that the Indian Air Force was completely pinned down during the battle and not a single aircraft of theirs flew due to the fear of being shot down as a result of Pakistan’s strong aerial combat tactics.

“If any aircraft had taken off from Gwalior, Bathinda or Sirsa, there was a high chance that it would have been shot down by Pakistan, which is why the air force was fully grounded,” Chavan said.

Pakistan, under the leadership of Chief of Defense Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Marshal Asim Munir, had given a befitting reply to India in May.

In a major defensive success against the rival country, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down seven Indian jets, including Rafales, and destroyed an S-400 defense system.

The four-day war between the two nuclear-armed countries was sparked by India’s illegal missile attacks inside Pakistan, which led to the martyrdom of many civilians and security personnel.

Pakistan, in addition to shooting down several Indian fighter jets, then launched a retaliatory strike, targeting over 20 Indian military sites in several regions.

Hostilities ended on May 10 after the two countries agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire deal.

Months after the conflict, a report submitted to the United States Congress acknowledged Pakistan’s military success against India.

The report, submitted by the US-China Economic and Security Commission, noted that Pakistan deployed advanced Chinese weapons during the conflict to enhance its military advantage over India.

The report cited the successful use of China’s modern weapon systems in active combat for the first time, including the HQ-9 air defense system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles and J-10C fighter jets.

CDF Munir, earlier this month, warned India of a tougher response if it resorted to any aggression against Pakistan in the future.

“India should have no illusions [as] Pakistan’s response [in case of any aggression] it will be even faster and more intense,” he said.