Latest news with #Indian-controlled
Straits Times
a day ago
- Politics
- Straits Times
India confirms it lost fighter jets in recent Pakistan conflict
Indian security force personnel stand guard near the site of a fighter jet crash in Wuyan in India-administered Kashmir's Pulwama district on May 7. PHOTO: REUTERS India's military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May, while saying the four-day conflict never came close to the point of nuclear war. 'What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,' General Anil Chauhan, chief of defence staff of the Indian Armed Forces, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on May 31, while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He called Pakistan's claims that it shot down six Indian warplanes 'absolutely incorrect', though declined to specify how many jets India lost. 'Why they were down, what mistakes were made – that are important,' Gen Chauhan said when asked about the fighter jets. 'Numbers are not important,' he added. 'The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and fly all our jets again, targeting at long range,' Gen Chauhan said. The comments are the most direct yet from an Indian government or military official on the fate of the country's fighter jets during the conflict with Pakistan that erupted on May 7. Earlier in May, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country shot down six Indian fighter jets, an assertion that has not been independently verified. India's government had earlier refrained from commenting on whether it lost aircraft in the fighting. The clash was the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in half a century, with both sides trading air, drone and missile strikes, as well as artillery and small arms fire along their shared border. It was triggered by a gruesome attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22, which saw gunmen kill 26 civilians in what India called an act of terrorism orchestrated by Pakistan. Leaders in Islamabad denied involvement. Gen Chauhan declined to comment on President Donald Trump's claim that the US helped to avert a nuclear war, but said it was 'far-fetched' to suggest either side was close to using atomic weapons. 'I personally feel that there is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold,' Gen Chauhan said. Channels of communication with Pakistan 'were always open' to control the situation, he added, noting that on the escalation ladder there were 'more sub-ladders which can be exploited for settling out our issues' without needing to resort to nuclear weapons. Gen Chauhan also downplayed Pakistan's claims about the effectiveness of weaponry deployed from China and other countries, saying they 'didn't work'. A research group under India's Defence Ministry said in May that China provided Pakistan with air defence and satellite support during its clash with India. 'We were able to do precision strikes on heavily air-defended airfields of Pakistan deep 300 kilometers inside, with the precision of a metre,' the Indian military chief said. India and Pakistan have sent delegations to global capitals to influence international perception of the conflict. Gen Chauhan said the cessation of hostilities is holding, and will depend on Pakistan's actions in the future. 'We have laid clear red lines,' he said. BLOOMBERG Join ST's Telegram channel and get the latest breaking news delivered to you.
The Star
a day ago
- Politics
- The Star
India confirms it lost fighter jets in recent Pakistan conflict
NEW DELHI: India's military confirmed for the first time that it lost an unspecified number of fighter jets in clashes with Pakistan in May, while saying the four-day conflict never came close to the point of nuclear war. "What is important is that, not the jet being down, but why they were being down,' Anil Chauhan, chief of defence staff of the Indian Armed Forces, said in an interview with Bloomberg TV on Saturday (May 31), while attending the Shangri-La Dialogue in Singapore. He called Pakistan's claims that it shot down six Indian warplanes "absolutely incorrect,' though declined to specify how many jets India lost. "Why they were down, what mistakes were made - that are important,' Chauhan said when asked about the fighter jets. "Numbers are not important,' he added. "The good part is that we are able to understand the tactical mistake which we made, remedy it, rectify it, and then implement it again after two days and flew all our jets again, targeting at long range,' Chauhan said. The comments are the most direct yet from an Indian government or military official on the fate of the country's fighter jets during the conflict with Pakistan that erupted on May 7. Earlier this month, Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif said his country shot down six Indian fighter jets, an assertion that hasn't been independently verified. India's government had earlier refrained from commenting on whether it lost aircraft in the fighting. The clash was the worst between the nuclear-armed neighbours in half a century, with both sides trading air, drone and missile strikes, as well as artillery and small arms fire along their shared border. It was triggered by a gruesome attack in Indian-controlled Kashmir on April 22, which saw gunmen kill 26 civilians in what India called an act of terrorism orchestrated by Pakistan. Leaders in Islamabad denied involvement. Chauhan declined to comment on President Donald Trump's claim that the US helped to avert a nuclear war, but said it was "far-fetched' to suggest either side was close to using atomic weapons. "I personally feel that there is a lot of space between conduct of conventional operations and the nuclear threshold,' Chauhan said. Channels of communication with Pakistan "were always open' to control the situation, he added, noting that on the escalation ladder there were "more sub-ladders which can be exploited for settling out our issues' without needing to resort to nuclear weapons. Chauhan also downplayed Pakistan's claims about the effectiveness of weaponry deployed from China and other countries, saying they "didn't work.' A research group under India's Defense Ministry said this month that China provided Pakistan with air defence and satellite support during its clash with India. "We were able to do precision strikes on heavily air-defended airfields of Pakistan deep 300 kilometres inside, with the precision of a metre,' the Indian military chief said. India and Pakistan have sent delegations to global capitals to influence international perception of the conflict. Chauhan said the cessation of hostilities is holding, and will depend on Pakistan's actions in the future. "We have laid clear red lines,' he said. - Bloomberg
Yahoo
2 days ago
- Business
- Yahoo
Opinion - India and Pakistan's ‘water and blood' wars could spark global catastrophe
'Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India,' said India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, last Friday, referring to the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. India suspended the World Bank-brokered agreement the day after gunmen killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists at Pahalgam in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan also claims Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi blames Islamabad for harboring militants who staged the April 22 attack, as Harish noted in his remarks at a U.N. Security Council Arria-formula meeting titled 'Protecting Water in Armed Conflict — Protecting Civilian Lives.' Pakistan has denied responsibility. By India's count, Pakistani terror attacks have taken more than 20,000 Indian lives in the past four decades. 'It is against this backdrop that India has finally announced that the treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicenter of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism,' Harish announced. 'It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.' India's action is the first-ever suspension of the pact. The treaty, 'a rare beacon of cooperation between India and Pakistan,' allocates waters in the Indus basin. India got control of the eastern rivers of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Pakistan controls western rivers, the Chenab, the Indus and Jhelum. The treaty is generous to Pakistan, allocating to it about 70 percent of the total water carried by the Indus River System. Water stoppages pose a dire threat to Pakistan. Rivers covered by the treaty provide almost 80 percent of its water for drinking and irrigation. 'Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs,' a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson said on April 25. 'Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian will be considered as an act of war and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of national power,' the Pakistani spokesperson continued. 'Complete spectrum of national power' is a significant phrase, given that Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state. Nuclear war is always on the menu. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 against known terrorist sites in Pakistan, and for four days the two nuclear-armed powers hit each other with air, drone and missile strikes. After India targeted the Nur Khan and Mushaf airbases, both close to Pakistan's nuclear weapons installations, an alarmed Trump administration intervened and brokered a ceasefire. Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, told CNN on May 12 that the cease-fire could fall apart 'if the water issue is not resolved.' India currently does not have the ability to deny water to Pakistan, because its upstream dams have only limited storage capacity. The most New Delhi can do with the current infrastructure is affect the timing of water flows to Pakistan. New Delhi's goal is to prevent any water from leaving India, however, and the country is planning to improve its system of dams so that they do not have to release water into Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has maintained a hardline stance. 'Water and blood cannot flow together,' Modi has said. 'Terror and talks cannot happen at the same time. Terror and trade cannot happen simultaneously.' Most analysts believe that Pakistan's forces got the better of India in the four days of fighting. Whether that is true or not, Pakistan's army came out ahead at home. 'Rather than deterring its rival, India precipitated a retaliation that ended up burnishing the Pakistani military's reputation and boosting its domestic popularity,' wrote Georgetown University's Aqil Shah in Foreign Affairs. So expect more hostilities. Shah's piece is titled 'The Next War Between India and Pakistan.' There will be one for sure. Operation Sindoor, Modi said, had 'drawn a new line under the fight against terrorism.' 'This is a new phase, a new normal. If there is a terror attack on India, we will give a jaw-breaking response.' Modi has recently said that Operation Sindoor has not yet ended. The conflict could spread to include another nuclear weapons state. Beijing, for instance, could intervene by blocking water flows into India. The headwaters of the Indus are in China. So are the headwaters of the Brahmaputra. 'This could well overshadow any previous, containable conflict between India and Pakistan,' writes Gregory Copley, the president of the International Strategic Studies Association and editor-in-chief of Defense and Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy, on the next war. 'It could be the big one.' Gordon G. Chang is the author of 'Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America' and 'The Coming Collapse of China.'. Copyright 2025 Nexstar Media, Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.
The Hill
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hill
India and Pakistan's ‘water and blood' wars could spark global catastrophe
'Pakistan has violated the spirit of the treaty by inflicting three wars and thousands of terror attacks on India,' said India's Permanent Representative to the United Nations, Parvathaneni Harish, last Friday, referring to the Indus Waters Treaty of 1960. India suspended the World Bank-brokered agreement the day after gunmen killed 26 mostly Hindu tourists at Pahalgam in Indian-controlled Jammu and Kashmir. Pakistan also claims Jammu and Kashmir. New Delhi blames Islamabad for harboring militants who staged the April 22 attack, as Harish noted in his remarks at a U.N. Security Council Arria-formula meeting titled 'Protecting Water in Armed Conflict — Protecting Civilian Lives.' Pakistan has denied responsibility. By India's count, Pakistani terror attacks have taken more than 20,000 Indian lives in the past four decades. 'It is against this backdrop that India has finally announced that the treaty will be in abeyance until Pakistan, which is a global epicenter of terror, credibly and irrevocably ends its support for cross-border terrorism,' Harish announced. 'It is clear that it is Pakistan which remains in violation of the Indus Waters Treaty.' India's action is the first-ever suspension of the pact. The treaty, 'a rare beacon of cooperation between India and Pakistan,' allocates waters in the Indus basin. India got control of the eastern rivers of Ravi, Beas and Sutlej. Pakistan controls western rivers, the Chenab, the Indus and Jhelum. The treaty is generous to Pakistan, allocating to it about 70 percent of the total water carried by the Indus River System. Water stoppages pose a dire threat to Pakistan. Rivers covered by the treaty provide almost 80 percent of its water for drinking and irrigation. 'Water is a vital national interest of Pakistan, a lifeline for its 240 million people and its availability will be safeguarded at all costs,' a Pakistani foreign ministry spokesperson said on April 25. 'Any attempt to stop or divert the flow of water belonging to Pakistan as per the Indus Waters Treaty, and the usurpation of the rights of lower riparian will be considered as an act of war and responded with full force across the complete spectrum of national power,' the Pakistani spokesperson continued. 'Complete spectrum of national power' is a significant phrase, given that Pakistan is a nuclear weapons state. Nuclear war is always on the menu. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 against known terrorist sites in Pakistan, and for four days the two nuclear-armed powers hit each other with air, drone and missile strikes. After India targeted the Nur Khan and Mushaf airbases, both close to Pakistan's nuclear weapons installations, an alarmed Trump administration intervened and brokered a ceasefire. Ishaq Dar, Pakistan's deputy prime minister and foreign minister, told CNN on May 12 that the cease-fire could fall apart 'if the water issue is not resolved.' India currently does not have the ability to deny water to Pakistan, because its upstream dams have only limited storage capacity. The most New Delhi can do with the current infrastructure is affect the timing of water flows to Pakistan. New Delhi's goal is to prevent any water from leaving India, however, and the country is planning to improve its system of dams so that they do not have to release water into Pakistan. Indian Prime Minister Narendra Modi has maintained a hardline stance. 'Water and blood cannot flow together,' Modi has said. 'Terror and talks cannot happen at the same time. Terror and trade cannot happen simultaneously.' Most analysts believe that Pakistan's forces got the better of India in the four days of fighting. Whether that is true or not, Pakistan's army came out ahead at home. 'Rather than deterring its rival, India precipitated a retaliation that ended up burnishing the Pakistani military's reputation and boosting its domestic popularity,' wrote Georgetown University's Aqil Shah in Foreign Affairs. So expect more hostilities. Shah's piece is titled 'The Next War Between India and Pakistan.' There will be one for sure. Operation Sindoor, Modi said, had 'drawn a new line under the fight against terrorism.' 'This is a new phase, a new normal. If there is a terror attack on India, we will give a jaw-breaking response.' Modi has recently said that Operation Sindoor has not yet ended. The conflict could spread to include another nuclear weapons state. Beijing, for instance, could intervene by blocking water flows into India. The headwaters of the Indus are in China. So are the headwaters of the Brahmaputra. 'This could well overshadow any previous, containable conflict between India and Pakistan,' writes Gregory Copley, the president of the International Strategic Studies Association and editor-in-chief of Defense and Foreign Affairs Strategic Policy, on the next war. 'It could be the big one.' Gordon G. Chang is the author of 'Plan Red: China's Project to Destroy America' and 'The Coming Collapse of China.'.
Yahoo
5 days ago
- General
- Yahoo
Picture shows Chernobyl nuclear plant control room, not Pakistan airbase after Indian strikes
"Scene at Nur Khan Airbase," reads the Hindi-language post sharing the photo published on Facebook on May 18. The facility was among the three Pakistan airbases targeted by Indian missiles a week earlier, as New Delhi and Islamabad engaged in an intense four-day conflict (archived link). The fighting killed more than 70 people in both countries before a ceasefire was agreed on May 10 (archived link). The conflict was sparked by a militant attack on April 22 in Indian-controlled Kashmir, which killed 26 people, mainly Hindu men. New Delhi blamed Pakistan for backing the attack, which Islamabad denies (archived link). The false post spread among Hindi-speaking users on Facebook and X, where it was shared hundreds of times. Some users appeared to believe the claim is genuine. One user commented, "Well-established airbases were destroyed, thanks to our soldiers." "Beautiful view. My heart felt happy," another wrote. But a Google reverse image search reveals the false picture actually shows the Chernobyl Nuclear Power Plant's control room, similar to those seen on stock photo websites Alamy and Adobe Stock (archived here and here). CNN published a picture showing a wide view of the room in a report on May 29, 2020 taken by German photographer Bernhard Ludewig (archived link). Ludewig told AFP on May 22 that the image circulating online depicts the power plant's control room. "There is basically just one good photo spot left today... so most pictures will show things from a very similar perspective," he said in an email. The Telegraph also published a video filmed in the plant on October 25, 2019 showing similar visuals (archived link). A reactor at the Chernobyl power plant exploded during a botched safety test on April 26, 1986, resulting in the world's worst nuclear accident, which sent clouds of radiation across much of Europe and forced tens of thousands of people to evacuate (archived link). AFP has debunked other misinformation stemming from the conflict between India and Pakistan.
