In a repeat of a long-standing and unsubstantiated claim, Pakistan's Air Staff chief has once again asserted that his country's forces shot down Indian military aircraft during a past engagement. The statement was made during a high-profile ceremony at the Pakistan Air Force Academy.
The Ceremony and the Claim
The incident took place on 02 December 2025. Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Babar, the chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), was addressing a gathering at the PAF Academy in Risalpur, Khyber Pakhtunkhwa. The event was a passing out parade for new cadets.
During his speech, the Air Staff chief stated that Pakistani forces had successfully "shot down" what he described as India's "most modern and capable aircraft" during the military action referred to as Operation Sindoor. This operation is understood to be the codename for the aerial engagement between India and Pakistan in February 2019, following the Balakot airstrikes.
Context and Indian Denials
This is not the first time Pakistani officials have made such a claim. Since the events of February 2019, Pakistan has repeatedly asserted that it downed an Indian Air Force jet, specifically a MiG-21 Bison, and also claimed to have hit a second aircraft, an Su-30MKI, which crashed on the Indian side.
The Indian government and the Indian Air Force have consistently and categorically denied the loss of any aircraft beyond the MiG-21 Bison, whose pilot, Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, was captured and later returned. India maintains that no Su-30MKI was lost or damaged in the dogfight. India's official position is that an Indian MiG-21 Bison shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet before itself being hit, a claim supported by presented evidence but denied by Pakistan.
Analysis of the Recurring Assertion
The timing of the statement, made at a ceremonial event for new officers, appears aimed at bolstering domestic morale and projecting an image of strength to the cadets. Such claims are often reiterated in Pakistan's military and public discourse.
However, no independent evidence has ever been presented by Pakistan to substantiate the claim of downing a second, more advanced Indian jet like the Su-30MKI. Military analysts and international observers have largely viewed these particular assertions with skepticism, given the lack of verifiable proof such as wreckage, satellite imagery, or neutral confirmation.
The reassertion of this claim years after the incident underscores the ongoing use of the 2019 episode for narrative-building within Pakistan's military establishment, even as India continues to reject the version of events.
The enduring discrepancy in the accounts of the 2019 air battle remains a point of contention, with both nations sticking firmly to their respective narratives. For India, the repeated Pakistani claims are seen as disinformation, while Pakistan uses them to reinforce its military's perceived prowess to a domestic audience.
