The mystery behind Pakistan’s bold assertion of having shot down five Indian fighter jets—including Rafales—during India’s recent anti-terror operation, has unraveled in an unexpectedly comical way. In a now-viral interview with CNN’s Becky Anderson, Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif credited “Indian social media” as the proof behind his country’s extraordinary claims.
When Anderson pressed for tangible evidence to support the supposed shootdowns, asked, “You just put up the fact that India lost some fighter jet. So let’s be quite clear about this. Pakistan claims it shot down five Indian Air Force jets on a drone. As I understand it, India says there’s no evidence of that. No proof. So can you provide any can you provide more detail and SEC response that your Army spokesman threatened, or is there further action to come? Let’s start with these this very specific, allegation of five fighter jets shot down. Where’s the evidence for that, sir?”
Asif casually replied, “It’s all over the social media, on Indian social media, not on our social media. They debris of these jets fell into a occupied Kashmir and it’s all over the Indian media, and they have admitted.” She promptly reminded him, “You’re the Defence Minister. We didn’t bring you here to talk about social media.”
-Question: Where is the proof that Pakistan shot down three Indian fighter jets?
-Pakistani Defence Minister (to CNN): I saw it on social media..🤡
Parody minister of a parody country! pic.twitter.com/p7X1mZK7Ds
— Mr Sinha (@MrSinha_) May 7, 2025
What followed was a bizarre and disjointed exchange. When asked if Chinese equipment was used, Asif dodged the question by rambling about Pakistan assembling its own aircraft and criticizing India for purchasing jets from France. He claimed India had “already admitted” to losing three jets, yet failed to provide any concrete data photos, videos, radar logs, or even a single verifiable wreckage site.
In another twist, he added that the jets were downed during a “dogfight” and bizarrely claimed that missiles were launched from Pakistani tanks. He attributed the supposed kills to JF-17s or JF-10s, again offering no proof.
Meanwhile, India has released official footage, satellite images, and drone visuals confirming the destruction of nine terrorist facilities inside Pakistan and PoK as part of Operation Sindoor, a precision mission in response to the 22 April Pahalgam terror attack that killed 26 Hindu pilgrims. In stark contrast, Pakistan has relied solely on anonymous posts, recycled media, and unverified claims.
Chinese state media, such as Global Times, also echoed the Pakistani narrative, claiming Indian jets were shot down. But India’s embassy in Beijing quickly debunked the misinformation, urging the outlet to fact-check before spreading propaganda.
Even The Hindu, after initially citing an anonymous source about alleged jet crashes, deleted its post and clarified that no official confirmation existed.
This isn’t an apology. This is a mere PR cover up.
Also – we thought you stood for freedom of speech, Mr. @nramind ?
What would you call a newspaper that publishes fake news against our armed forces, but can’t handle real replies from the people?
We’ll tell you: A propaganda… https://t.co/ANYnX3XZIw pic.twitter.com/UqvEiUMJIX
— BJP Tamilnadu (@BJP4TamilNadu) May 7, 2025
As if things weren’t embarrassing enough, Pakistani military officials doubled down, falsely claiming they had shot down an Israeli-made Heron drone, three Rafales, one MiG-29, and one Su-30MKI—without showing a shred of proof.
While India presented evidence of its successful strike, including the locations and results, Pakistan is trapped in a loop of denial, misinformation, and social media theatrics. Not a single verifiable image of downed aircraft, captured pilots, or on-ground wreckage has emerged.
Internally, Pakistan’s military is grappling with deeper problems. Amid 38% inflation and a ballooning debt-to-GDP ratio, the defense budget has been slashed by 15%. Some units reportedly rely on crowdsourcing for basic supplies. Meanwhile, insurgent groups like the Baloch Liberation Army have launched deadly attacks, killing 14 Pakistani soldiers in Bolan and Kech.
There’s also growing dissent within the Pakistani ranks over the continued use of terror proxies like Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Mohammed. Many officers argue these strategies no longer provide plausible deniability and only provoke stronger Indian retaliation—as demonstrated by the Balakot strike in 2019 and now Operation Sindoor.
Despite mounting internal pressures, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif echoed Asif’s bizarre claim to the Pakistani Parliament—that five Indian jets, including Rafales, were shot down by Pakistani forces. He even inflated the figure, alleging that 80 Indian planes participated in the mission. Yet not a single verified image, pilot capture, or debris field supports this grand tale.
As Pakistan’s economy collapses and internal unrest simmers, its government continues to engage in a desperate campaign of bluster and falsehoods. But in the age of instant verification and global media access, the lack of real proof speaks volumes.
(With inputs from OpIndia)
Subscribe to our channels on Telegram, WhatsApp, and Instagram and get the best stories of the day delivered to you personally.