'They thought nobody would hit Bahawalpur and Muridke because they have nuclear weapons.'
'They used to think India cannot touch our military targets because we are a nuclear weapons country.'
'After Operation Sindoor we have called their bluff.'
Sections of the Western media are trying to prove that India suffered a setback during Operation Sindoor with Pakistan's Chinese missiles shooting down Indian fighter jets.
A report in London's The Daily Telegraph newspaper claimed that Operation Sindoor shattered the myth of India's air dominance over Pakistan.
'The apparent involvement of Chinese aircraft in shooting down a Rafale has ricocheted through defence circles and sent stock in its maker, Chengdu Aircraft Corporation, surging by as much as 20 per cent,' The Telegraph report claimed.
India had neither commented on the article nor admitted that IAF aircraft were shot down by Pakistan.
When Air Marshal A K Bharti, the director general air operations, was asked whether India had lost any aircraft, he said, 'We are in combat scenario and losses are part of the combat. However, we have achieved all our objectives and all our pilots are back home.'
So what is the truth?
"We showed what we damaged in Pakistan but they could not show what they have damaged in India," Nitin A Gokhale, a respected voice on national security, tells Syed Firdaus Ashraf/Rediff.
Sections of the international media claim that an IAF Rafale was shot down during Operation Sindoor.
I won't say the Rafale was of no use. The Indian Air Force has made it clear that there have been losses but we will tell you about it at the appropriate time because Operation Sindoor is still on. All our pilots are accounted for and are back home.
I believe there are losses but I don't know whether it is a Sukhoi, a Mirage or a Rafale because they have not told us. Nobody has confirmed this to us. Only the people in government or people in the air force would know this fact. We should wait for the government to tell us.
The Daily Telegraph claimed that Chinese missiles had 'routed' India's air force?
The Daily Telegraph newspaper has always been an anti-India newspaper. If they had not come out with this report they would have come out with something else.
At Gurdaspur there was one Chinese missile, the PL-15, was found almost intact on the ground. It is one of the most advanced Chinese missiles and did not explode. Now, it is a big treasure trove for India. DRDO scientists will be looking at it.
They (the Pakistanis) didn't use the JF-17 aircraft by their own admission. None of the Chinese or American planes were used in the contest with India.
We showed what we damaged in Pakistan but they could not show what they have damaged in India.
Pakistani air defences were also Chinese made. It is called HQ9 (a long range semi-active radar homing surface to air missile). It is the reverse engine version of S-300, the earlier version of S-400.
Now, obviously the HQ9 did not work for Pakistan. Therefore, the Brahmos, Mica and Scalp penetrated Pakistani airspace without being stopped and causing so much damage to Pakistani infrastructure and military.
What about Pakistani drones?
They were all shot down when they came to India on the first two days like swarms. There were around 360 of them. There were also quadcopters (unmanned aerial vehicles), which were shot at various places.
The Indian Air Force and Indian Army know about Chinese standards. Of course, the Chinese will learn from all these things for the future. But in this duel with India, China is the runner-up and not the winner.
Is Pakistan completely dependent on China like they were once on the USA?
Pakistan is heavily dependent militarily on China. 80 percent of Pakistan's military hardware is dependent on China.
The Indian Air Force has hit all the military targets in Pakistan. Pakistan has not been able to inflict any damage on India. So, how is it that they have won?
It is Western propaganda against India. The Chinese may not say it, but it is Western and Pakistani propaganda against India.
Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif is saying Pakistan won the war. How delusional can one get!
How do you counter the Western media when they say the Rafale were flying 300 km inside India rather than 300 km inside Pakistan=?
The operation was meant to be like that. (In military terms) it is called as stand-off battle (a situation where opposing forces are facing each other, prepared for conflict, but have not engaged in actual combat). The Rafale is equipped with beyond visual range missiles which range and can target from 300 km to 400 km.
This is an upgrade from the Balakot operation. In that operation we had to cross the boundary and go into Pakistan and hit as the range was not there. But here in Operation Sindoor we never had to go inside Pakistan to hit.
The Rafale came to the Indian Air Force after Operation Balakot. Yes, the Rafale stayed 300 km from the Pakistan border because of its capability (to hit the target).
Do you mean the Western media is giving a different spin to the Rafale story?
Exactly! They are masters at it.
We don't need to bother. The outcome (of Operation Sindoor) is what matters.
The Pakistan air force is crippled; they are the ones who think India can hit them anywhere. There is uncertainty in them.
We have called Pakistan's nuclear deterrence bluff. They thought nobody would hit Bahawalpur and Muridke because they have nuclear weapons. They used to think India cannot touch our military targets because we are a nuclear weapons country.
After Operation Sindoor we have called their bluff. This is called a nuclear deterrence bluff. Uncertainty in the minds of the Pakistanis is the new normal now. They don't know where India will hit them.
Can this ensure we will not see any terrorist attack on Indians from the Pakistani side?
We have said clearly that any terrorist attack will be seen as an act of war.
This means India has the right to give this kind of punishment to Pakistan.
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