Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has categorically rejected the sensational claim made by Indian Air Force Chief Air Marshal AP Singh. In a response to Express on Saturday, he termed the claim as ‘ironic’ and ‘unreasonable time-wasting’.

Recently, Indian Air Force Chief AP Singh claimed that his forces had shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and a military transport plane in the May clash. He said that these aircraft were mainly destroyed by India’s Russian-made S-400 surface-to-air missile system. He also presented electronic tracking data as evidence of these attacks.

But as Islamabad had earlier claimed, India could not shoot down any Pakistani plane in the May 7-10 clash. Instead, Pakistan claimed that it had shot down six Indian aircraft in that war, including a French-made Rafale fighter jet. Although India has admitted to losing some aircraft, it has denied losing six.

French aviation expert General Jerome Bellanger had earlier claimed that he had seen evidence of damage to three Indian fighter jets, including a Rafale. The Indian Air Force has not commented on the matter.

Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif said that India's new claim was an "attempt to cover up the failure" of senior military officials. According to him, such a claim was made three months after the clash, while Pakistan presented detailed technical evidence to the international media immediately after the clash. He also claimed that assessments by independent observers, world leaders, Indian politicians and foreign intelligence agencies have also acknowledged the loss of Indian aircraft, while not a single Pakistani aircraft was destroyed or damaged.

Sources: Geo News, Arab News