Conlict broke out in early May after India accused Pakistan of sponsoring a terrorist attack that killed 26 civilians, mainly Hindus, in an Indian-administered region. Pakistan has denied sponsoring terrorism.
Following days of tit-for-tat missile and aerial strikes that prompted widespread alarm about the potential for further escalation between the two nuclear-armed powers, India and Pakistan declared a ceasefire on May 10.
Both sides declared victory, but their reports on how the war unfolded differed. India initially denied claims that Pakistan had shot down as many as six of its fighter jets, but a senior Indian military official later acknowledged that India had indeed lost planes — without specifying how many or what type.
Images of wreckage posted on social media suggest that one Mirage jet and one Rafale jet, both French-made fighters, had been destroyed. U.S. and French officials have told several media outlets that Pakistan was able to down at least one French-made jet with Chinese technology.
Pressed to clarify what had happened, Jaishankar didn’t deny the destruction of Indian Air Force planes, but said the appropriate authorities would communicate on the matter when ready.
In some of the most pointed comments by an Indian official since a ceasefire was declared, he argued that India’s fighter planes and missiles had inflicted far more extensive damage on the Pakistani Air Force than vice versa, forcing Pakistan to sue for peace.
