Pakistan Deputy PM Exposed for False Claims About Air Force in Operation Sindoor
Pakistan Deputy PM Caught in a Web of Lies
Pakistan is facing a fresh wave of embarrassment after Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar was exposed for making false claims about the Pakistan Air Force’s (PAF) performance during Operation Sindoor, India’s counteroffensive in May 2019. What’s even more surprising? It wasn’t an Indian or foreign media outlet that blew the whistle, but the Karachi-based newspaper Dawn.
The controversy erupted when Dar, in a speech to Pakistan’s Senate, cited a headline from the British newspaper Telegraph that praised the PAF as the ‘Undisputed King of the Skies’. However, Dawn’s investigative report, titled ‘Fact check: Viral Daily Telegraph article praising PAK after India escalation is fake’, debunked the Telegraph’s claims, exposing Dar’s misinformation.
Dar’s Claims Contradicted by Former PAF Chief
Adding fuel to the fire, retired Air Marshal Masood Akhtar, a former PAF chief, revealed that Pakistan actually lost a valuable Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft during the Indian strikes on Bholari airbase as part of Operation Sindoor. AWACS aircraft are critical for air defense, providing long-range radar surveillance and control. Akhtar stated that India neutralized the AWACS during missile strikes on eleven military installations on May 9 and 10.
India’s Assertions Supported by Evidence
India’s claims of targeting and damaging multiple Pakistani military installations during the operation are backed by satellite imagery released by Maxar Technologies and corroborated by reports from The New York Times. The imagery clearly shows the extent of the damage to Shahbaz airbase in Jacobabad and Bholari airbase, confirming India’s account.
Operation Sindoor: A Turning Point
India’s successful counteroffensive on May 9 and 10, 2019, marked a pivotal moment, becoming the first time a country successfully targeted the airbases of a nuclear-armed nation. Sources suggest that India’s strategic deployment of kamikaze drones to disable Pakistan’s air defense systems, including Lahore’s air defense, played a key role in the operation’s success.
