Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday said that Pakistan has video footage of the six Indian aircraft shot down during a brief military confrontation between both nations in May.
The military confrontation between India and Pakistan came in May as the former, without evidence, linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad, which strongly denied the allegations.
Pakistan said it downed six Indian planes during the conflict, including advanced French-made Dassult Rafale jets. India’s highest-ranking general has also acknowledged that its forces suffered losses in the air, but denied losing six aircraft.
Addressing a seminar in Lahore today, Naqvi said he was involved in several matters surrounding the war with India and was privy to several key pieces on information.
“The army, air force, navy and government have all been acknowledged during the past month-and-a-half, but our intelligence agencies were doing important work behind the scenes,” he said.
“Our institutions had information on India’s (plans) well ahead of time. We knew whatever they (India) planned, what aircraft they would use. Our intelligence agencies’ role was so important, but they do not come forward. We need to acknowledge them.”
The interior minister said that when Indian planes were downed, the decision was made not to announce this without evidence.
“We had radar data, but we needed field evidence,” he explained. “Within minutes, we received video footage of all six planes which were shot down. We have this footage.”
Naqvi then outlined two incidents where seven Indian missiles struck a Pakistani base, adding that once they were launched, it became clear they were heading across the border.
“People got worried, we have important hardware at this base,” he said, not mentioning the base’s name or location. “Not a single missile hit that base. Some fell short, some hit outside the base.
“When we launched our missiles, we targeted military installations near populated areas, but made every effort to avoid civilian casualties,” Naqvi added. “We destroyed one of their biggest oil depots and there were no civilian casualties. That is when we knew that God was helping us.”
The interior minister added that Nur Khan Airbase near Rawalpindi, which was struck by Indian missiles, suffered no damage.
“We had damage at one base where a member of the air force was martyred, but that’s about it,” he said.
On the night of May 6-7, New Delhi launched a series of air strikes on Pakistan, killing at least 40 civilians. Both sides then exchanged missiles, which stretched over the week, before a US-brokered ceasefire had both sides agree to stop the hostilities.
In July, United States President Donald Trump said that five jets were shot down during the conflict. He made his remarks at a dinner with some Republican US lawmakers at the White House, but did not specify which side’s jets he was referring to.
While describing Pakistan’s response to the Indian Air Force, PAF Director General Public Relations Air Vice Marshal Aurangzeb Ahmed on May 12 said the PAF’s response was based “on the time and place of own choosing”, displaying “bold, aggressive and unwavering resolve of the brave military leadership”.
Last month, Chinese air force chief Lieutenant General Wang Gang lauded the “exemplary performance” during the aerial clash, praising the “decisive and measured response delivered by PAF pilots under the resolute leadership of the air chief”.