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International Desk | May 7, 2025: Pakistan has claimed that its armed forces shot down five Indian Air Force (IAF) fighter jets and one drone, including three Rafale jets, one Su-30, one MiG-29, and a Heron drone, amid heightened tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbors.
The claim follows India’s announcement of striking nine “terrorist infrastructure” sites in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, which India alleges were used to plan attacks against it.
According to Reuters, four local government sources in India-controlled Jammu and Kashmir reported that three fighter jets crashed in the region on Wednesday, May 7, 2025. Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lieutenant General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, told Reuters, “So far, five Indian aircraft, comprising three Rafale jets, one Su-30, one MiG-29, and a Heron drone, have been shot down.” He described the actions as a defensive response to India’s airstrikes, which Pakistan labeled a “blatant act of war.”
The Indian government has not yet officially responded to Pakistan’s claims regarding the downed aircraft. The alleged incidents occurred hours after India launched “Operation Sindoor,” targeting what it described as terrorist facilities in Pakistan’s Punjab province and Pakistan-administered Kashmir. India’s Ministry of Defence stated that the strikes were “focused, measured, and non-escalatory,” avoiding Pakistani military installations.
The escalation follows a deadly attack on April 22, 2025, in Pahalgam, Indian-administered Kashmir, where 26 tourists, mostly Hindus, were killed. India has accused Pakistan of sponsoring the attack, a charge Islamabad denies. Pakistan reported that India’s strikes killed eight civilians, including women and children, and injured 35 others, targeting civilian sites such as mosques and residential areas.
Both nations have closed their airspaces to each other’s airlines, and schools in parts of Indian and Pakistani Kashmir, as well as Pakistan’s Punjab province, have been shut down. The United States, China, and other nations have urged restraint to prevent further escalation, with U.S. Senator Jeanne Shaheen expressing concern over the risk of conflict between the two nuclear powers.
The situation remains volatile, with ongoing exchanges of artillery fire along the Line of Control (LoC). Pakistan’s Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has summoned a National Security Committee meeting to discuss the crisis, while India’s Foreign Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar emphasized a “zero-tolerance” policy toward terrorism. As tensions soar, the international community is closely monitoring the developments, fearing a potential spiral into a broader conflict.
AI/MR
