New Delhi: Pakistan Defence Minister Khawaja Asif has faced embarrassment once again on international television due to his misleading claims regarding India during Operation Sindoor. He asserted that Pakistan shot down five Indian fighter jets, Rafale, during air strikes on terrorist camps on May 7.
This assertion came after India retaliated for a terror attack in Pahalgam, targeting and destroying multiple camps with precision strikes. The PIB fact-checked these claims amid widespread misinformation circulating on Pakistani social media.
In an interview with CNN, when asked for evidence of his assertion, Asif cited "social media content" as his proof, noting that debris fell in Indian-occupied Kashmir. However, the anchor pressed him for concrete details, specifically enquiring about any Chinese military equipment used in the encounter.
Asif deflected this question, emphasizing that while India could purchase French aircraft, Pakistan was equally capable of acquiring Chinese equipment. When pressed again about the alleged use of Chinese technology, Asif continued to dodge the question, insisting that his claim involved a dogfight scenario where Indian planes were supposedly shot down by Pakistani missiles.
Khawaja Asif Fails To Answer In International Media
In an interview with CNN reporter Becky Anderson, Asif was asked for proof of this claim, to which he said, “It’s all over social media, on Indian social media, not on our social media. The debris of these jets fell in Indian-occupied Kashmir."
The anchor interrupted the Pakistani minister and said, “The reason to talk to you today is not to talk about content on social media. I’m asking specifically for the evidence, details. For example, was any Chinese equipment used to down these Rafale jets, as I understand you are alleging to be?"
Dodging the question, he responded with “if India can buy planes from France, Pakistan can buy from China".
“No Chinese equipment. We have Chinese planes, but they are being manufactured and assembled in Islamabad now. If India can buy planes from France and use them, we can also buy planes from China or Russia or the US, or the UK. They have already admitted that their 3 planes were downed," he falsely claimed.
Not The First Embarrassing Interview By Pakistan's Defence Minister
Notably, this is not the first time Asif has faced scrutiny for his statements; he previously stated in an interview that Pakistan had been doing “dirty work" for the West over the past thirty years, which drew significant criticism. His remarks had come when he was asked about Pakistan’s involvement in funding and training terrorists over a long period of time. This series of incidents has continuously rendered Asif a target of ridicule in international media for his unsubstantiated claims.
