NEW DELHI: As India heads towards key state elections, politicians and officials alike are whipping up public sentiment in a bid to win over voters.
It was perhaps in the same vein that two Indian military chiefs threatened Pakistan on Friday, and repeated ‘implausible’ claims about shooting down F-16s and JF-17 aircraft during the conflagration between the two nuclear-armed rivals, in May of this year.
Alleging that Islamabad was involved in state-sponsored terrorism, Indian Army Chief Gen Upendra Dwivedi said Pakistan may have to “reconsider its place on the world map”, The Hindu reported.
Meanwhile, Indian Air Force’s chief A.P. Singh claimed yet again on Friday that India had inflicted extensive damage on Pakistan’s air power during Operation Sindoor.
There was no immediate word from Pakistan’s Foreign Office or the military’s media wing, but Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has dismissed similar assertions in the past as being “implausible”. In return, he had offered to open up both countries’ air fleets to independent verification.
“The belated assertions made by the Indian Air Force chief regarding alleged destruction of Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor are as implausible as they are ill-timed,” Mr Asif had said in a sharply worded statement, issued in August.
“It is also ironic how senior Indian military officers are being used as the faces of monumental failure caused by the strategic shortsightedness of Indian politicians.”
The comments from the Indian military chiefs have domestic political significance for India’s ruling party, the BJP, as crucial state polls are due in the populous state of Bihar in November.
It was from Bihar, not New Delhi, where PM Narendra Modi had travelled to issue his unusual threat in English to avenge the macabre killings in Pahalgam on April 22.
Sabre-rattling
According to The Hindu, Gen Dwivedi was addressing troops in the forward area of Anupgarh in Rajasthan’s Sriganganagar district.
“India is fully prepared this time and won’t show the restraint we exhibited during Operation Sindoor 1.0. This time we will take a step forward and act in a manner that will make Pakistan think whether it wants to remain on the world map or not,” he said.
“Keep yourselves fully prepared now, if God wills, the opportunity will come soon,” he was quoted as telling the troops.
Referring to Operation Sindoor, launched after the Pahalgam terror attack, the army chief claimed India had struck nine sites inside Pakistan — seven by the Army and two by the Air Force.
The IAF chief, meanwhile, was speaking at the 93rd Air Force Day celebrations in New Delhi. He presented what The Hindu called a detailed account of the alleged strikes, while also outlining the air force’s future plans under Roadmap 2047 and the proposed indigenous ‘Sudarshan Chakra’ air defence system.
He claimed to have “evidence of one long range strike... along with that five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class”, without offering any further evidence or details.
Pakistan maintains that it shot down six Indian fighter jets during the conflict, including the French-made Rafale. While India has acknowledged some losses, it has denied losing six aircraft.
Even on Friday, IAF chief Singh declined to respond to questions on Pakistan’s claim of downing Indian jets.
Our correspondent in New Delhi also contributed to this report
Published in Dawn, October 4th, 2025