Pakistan's Defence Minister Khawaja Asif faced a credibility setback during a CNN interview after he was unable to substantiate claims that Pakistan had shot down five Indian jets during India’s recent military operation, codenamed 'Operation Sindoor'. When questioned about the evidence behind the dramatic assertion, Asif pointed only to “social media” posts specifically on Indian platforms as his source. "It's all over the social media, on Indian social media, not on our social media. The debris of these jets fell into Kashmir," Asif claimed. The CNN anchor quickly countered that social media was not a reliable or valid basis for such serious allegations in a news discussion.

Pressed further on what military equipment was used in the supposed engagements, Asif pivoted to discussing Pakistan’s fleet of Chinese-made jets such as the JF-17 and JF-10, produced in collaboration with China and assembled in Pakistan. He added, “If India can buy planes from France and use them, we can also buy planes from China or Russia or United States, UK and use them.”

Asif's remarks came in the aftermath of India’s extensive counter-terrorism operation, ‘Operation Sindoor’, which involved coordinated air and missile strikes by the Indian Army, Air Force, and Navy. The operation targeted nine terrorist facilities operated by groups like Lashkar-e-Taiba, Jaish-e-Mohammed, and Hizbul Mujahideen four of which were located in Pakistan, and five in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The Indian government emphasized that the strikes were carefully calibrated to avoid escalation and did not target Pakistani military installations.

India launched the operation in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu & Kashmir, where 26 civilians including one Nepali tourist were killed by Pakistan-linked militants associated with Lashkar-e-Taiba. At a press conference, Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri stated the Pahalgam incident was the worst act of terrorism since the 2008 Mumbai attacks, stressing that it clearly exposed Pakistan’s ongoing support and training of cross-border terror groups.

Disclaimer: This image is taken from Hindustan Times.