India slaughtered five Pakistani fighters and another military aircraft during clashes in May, the India Air Force chief said on Saturday, in the country’s first public statement after the worst military conflict in decades with his neighbor.
Pakistan Defense Minister Khawaja Muhammad Asif rejected the statement, saying that India had not hit or destroyed a single Pakistani aircraft.
At an event in the city of Bengaluru, southern India, Indian Air Force Marshal-chief, AP Singh, said most Pakistani aircraft were overthrown by the S-400 Russian Terra-Air missile system. He cited electronic tracking data as confirmation of the attacks.
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“This is, in fact, the biggest land slaughter ever recorded,” he said, causing audience applause that included Air Force officers in service, veterans and government and industry officials.
Singh did not mention the type of hunting that was slaughtered, but said that the air strikes also hit an additional surveillance plane and “some F-16 fighters” that were parked in hangars on two air bases in southeastern Pakistan.
In an X publication, the Minister of Pakistan Defense accused India of dishonesty.
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“If the truth is in question, that both sides open their aircraft inventories for independent verification – although we suspect that it would reveal the reality that India seeks to obscure,” he said.
“These comic narratives, elaborated for internal political convenience, increase the serious risks of strategic calculation error in a nuclearized environment.”
Islamabad, whose Air Force operates mainly Chinese and US F-16-made jets, had already denied India to overthrow any Pakistani aircraft during May 7-10 combat between nuclear weapon neighbors.
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The Pentagon did not immediately respond to a request for comment on Saturday.
Pakistan said it has slaughtered six Indian aircraft during the clashes, including a French -made rafale fighter. India recognized some losses, but denied having lost six aircraft.
