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The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
Did Political Constraints Cause IAF Losses in Operation Sindoor?
Published : Jun 30, 2025 17:29 IST - 5 MINS READ After a statement by General Anil Chauhan, Chief of Defence Staff, in Singapore on June 1 that the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost some aircraft in the battle with Pakistan, another armed forces officer has mentioned the loss of aircraft and claimed that this was because of the 'constraints' imposed by the political leadership. This has created enough heat in the country, to the extent that the establishment was forced to issue a clarification, claiming that the officer was misquoted. Captain Shiv Kumar, Defence Attache in Indonesia, said that the IAF lost jets in the early phase of Operation Sindoor as a result of restrictions imposed by the political leadership. He was making a presentation of the success of Operation Sindoor as part of a worldwide outreach by India, at the Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma, on June 10. The video of this presentation, intriguingly, became public knowledge more than a fortnight later, June 29. The event was titled, 'Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's anticipatory strategies from the perspective of air power'. Also Read | Compellence, not deterrence, is the way forward In the video, Captain Kumar is clearly heard saying: 'We did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership not to attack their military establishment or their air defences.' He was responding to a submission by an earlier speaker that India lost a 'lot of' aircraft. Capt Kumar starts his rebuttal saying: 'I may not agree with him that we lost so many aircraft but I do agree that we did lose some aircraft.' He adds: 'After the losses, we changed tactics and we went for their military installations. So, we first achieved suppression of enemy air defence and destruction of enemy air defence and then that's why all our attacks could easily go through using surface-to-air missiles, BrahMos, surface-to-surface missiles.' On the sidelines of the Singapore Shangri-La Dialogue security forum, General Anil Cahuhan told Bloomberg TV: 'What I can say is, on 7th [May 7] in the initial stages, there were losses, but the numbers—that's not important. What was important is why did these losses occur. So, we rectified that and then went back on 7th, 8th, and 10th—and on 10th in large numbers to hit air bases in Pakistan. [We] penetrated all their air defences with impunity. We carried out precision strikes.' This issue has since blown over with the Central government refusing to answer questions over the loss of aircraft. In fact, the CDS was viciously targeted on social media by right-wing trolls aligned with the ruling BJP, just as Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri was, earlier, for evading a question on loss of IAF fighter planes. Political constraints But the second issue is far more important because Captain Kumar refers to the 'political constraint'. Prime Minister Narendra Modi had repeatedly said that the armed forces had been given full operational freedom to respond to the Pahalgam attacks. This assertion by Captain Kumar runs contrary to the Prime Minister's statement. Captain Kumar's assertion is in line with the Press Information Bureau press release of May 7, time stamped 1.44 am, which said: 'Our actions have been focused, measured and non-escalatory in nature. No Pakistan military facilities have been targeted. India has demonstrated considerable restraint in selection of targets and method of execution.' But the fact that this was a political quagmire was not lost on the establishment. The Indian Mission in Indonesia put out a statement the same day the video went viral, June 29. This was posted on the social media platform X at 7.02 pm: 'His [The Defence Attache's] remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker. The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory.' Also Read | Operation Sindoor blurred the lines between security and showbiz Describing the political decision as a tactical error, Sanjeev Gupta, former secretary in the Union Home Ministry, said that if there was a conscious decision at the political level not to attack Pakistan's air force establishments on day 1 of Operation Sindoor, there was no harm in admitting it. 'The idea might have been just to focus on terror camps and end it there. In strategic matters, tactical errors can take place. A military attache shouldn't be left to make a startling revelation in an Indonesian university.' Pravin Sawhney, a former Army officer and writer, said on his YouTube channel, Force Magazine: 'Shiv Kumar has revealed the reason which no one knew so an air force is in a battle, the first target is the air defence because the most immediate danger stems from air defence. We call it SEAD—suppression of enemy air defence. If this [air defence] is not taken out you will suffer losses.' Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera said that this was a 'direct indictment of the Modi government'. He added: 'No wonder they are ducking our demand for a special session of know they have compromised national security, and they have terrified of what the Congress party will expose before the people of India.' In a post on the party said: 'There are several unanswered questions related to the untimely ceasefire – especially when India actually had an upper hand in the escalation.' It demanded that the Prime Minister answer these questions, including why an all-party meeting was not being convened under the PM's leadership and why a special session of Parliament was not convened. The officer's matter-of-fact statement in Indonesia means that more doubts will crop up over the conduct of Operation Sindoor. The opposition is questioning the timing of the ceasefire and wants to know exactly what the US had asked India to do when the country had the upper hand.
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Business Standard
2 days ago
- Politics
- Business Standard
Defence attache's IAF loss in Op Sindoor remark sparks row: What happened
The Embassy of India in Jakarta, Indonesia, issued a clarification on Sunday, June 30, regarding comments made by India's Defence Attaché to Indonesia Captain Shiv Kumar on Operation Sindoor that suggested that the alleged losses incurred by the Indian Air Force (IAF) in Pakistan were caused by "political constraints". In a video that surfaced on social media, Captain Kumar purportedly suggested that political leadership, and not air defence capabilities, were responsible for the loss of India's aircraft. Opposition leaders seized on the remarks, accusing the government of concealing crucial details about the operation. Here's what happened. What defence attaché said about aircraft losses in Pakistan On June 10, Captain Kumar addressed a seminar titled 'Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power' at a university in Jakarta. In a clip that surfaced online on Sunday, June 29, the naval officer can be heard responding to an earlier comment made by a speaker at the same event claiming that India lost "a lot of aircrafts", Kumar said, "I may not agree with him that India lost a lot of aircrafts, but I do agree ee did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defence system.' He further explained, 'But after the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for the military installations. So we first achieved suppression and destruction of enemy air defence and then all our attacks could easily go through using surface-to-air missiles and BrahMos surface-to-surface missiles.' Congress accuses Centre of withholding military details Referencing the comment, Congress General Secretary Jairam Ramesh questioned the government's silence and transparency. 'First the Chief of Defence Staff makes important revelations in Singapore. Then, a senior defence official follows up from Indonesia. But why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the Opposition into confidence?' he asked in a post on X . ऑपरेशन सिंदूर पर पहले सिंगापुर में चीफ ऑफ डिफेंस स्टाफ (CDS) ने अहम खुलासे किए। फिर इंडोनेशिया में एक कार्यक्रम के दौरान एक वरिष्ठ रक्षा अधिकारी ने उन बातों को आगे बढ़ाया। लेकिन प्रधानमंत्री सर्वदलीय बैठक की अध्यक्षता करने और विपक्ष को भरोसे में लेने से क्यों इनकार कर रहे हैं?… — Jairam Ramesh (@Jairam_Ramesh) June 29, 2025 Congress spokesperson Pawan Khera also accused the Prime Minister Narendra Modi-led government of deliberately withholding information. 'The Modi government has misled the nation from the start – failing to disclose the aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor,' he said. Khera referred to earlier briefings where losses were only indirectly acknowledged, such as when Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti described the situation as a 'combat scenario' where losses were expected. The Modi government has misled the nation from the start - failing to disclose the aircraft losses during Operation Sindoor. There were oblique references to losses in air combat on 6/7 May, during a briefing by the DG Air Ops (Air Marshal Awadhesh Kumar Bharti) when he said -… — Pawan Khera ???????? (@Pawankhera) June 29, 2025 'Taken out of context': Indian Embassy responds to controversy Amid the controversy, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta issued a statement on X stating that the officer's remarks were taken out of context. 'His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker,' the statement read. "The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory," the embassy added. We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar. His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker. The presentation… — India in Indonesia (@IndianEmbJkt) June 29, 2025 Opposition calls for special Parliament session on Op Sindoor On May 31, Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan confirmed with Bloomberg TV that the IAF had lost fighter jets during Operation Sindoor. While specifics regarding losses have not been disclosed, authorities have repeatedly refuted claims, made by Pakistan, of losing six aircraft.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
IAF lost some jets due to no-strike orders on Pakistan's defences, says official; govt says remarks taken 'out of context'
Live Events 'Losses prompted change in tactics' Govt says comments were 'quoted out of context' (You can now subscribe to our (You can now subscribe to our Economic Times WhatsApp channel A senior Indian defence official posted in Indonesia has said that the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost some fighter jets during the May 7 strikes on terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) because the country's political leadership had restricted attacks on Pakistani military remark, made by Navy Captain Shiv Kumar at a seminar earlier this month, has triggered political controversy and prompted a clarification from the Indian Kumar, who holds the rank of colonel and currently serves as India's defence attaché to Indonesia, made the statement during a seminar titled "Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power" held on June comment came weeks after Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan acknowledged that the IAF suffered losses during Operation Sindoor , India's large-scale retaliation for the Pahalgam terror attack 'I may not agree that we lost so many aircraft, but I do agree we did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack their military establishments and air defences,' Capt Kumar said during the seminar, as reported by officer added that the Indian strategy changed after the initial losses.'After the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for the military installations (and radar sites). So, we first achieved suppression of enemy air defences and then that's why all our attacks could easily go through using BrahMos missiles (on May 10),' he remarks are broadly consistent with what CDS Chauhan said at a forum in Singapore on May he did not disclose the number of jets lost, he confirmed that there had been setbacks in the early phase of the operation and that subsequent Indian strikes focused on suppressing enemy air defences before executing successful precision attacks.'What I can say is that on May 7, in the initial stages, there were losses. Numbers are not important. What was important is why did these losses occur, and what we will do after that,' Gen Chauhan had Kumar's remarks, once reported, were quickly picked up by the Congress to criticise the Modi government's approach to Operation Sindoor. Pakistan, for its part, has claimed it shot down six Indian aircraft, including three Rafales—a claim that Gen Chauhan has called 'absolutely incorrect.'In response to the political fallout, the Indian embassy in Jakarta issued a statement defending the officer, saying his remarks had been distorted.'The remarks made by the defence attaché have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker,' the embassy posted on clarified that the presentation aimed to highlight India's model of civilian control over the military and to emphasise that Operation Sindoor was intended to be a calibrated, non-escalatory response focused on terrorist infrastructure.'The presentation conveyed that the Indian armed forces serve under civilian political leadership, unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory,' the embassy government has not officially stated how many jets were lost in the cross-border air operations.
The Hindu
2 days ago
- Politics
- The Hindu
‘Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership': Embassy says Defence attaché's remarks on Op Sindoor misrepresented
A controversy has erupted over the remarks by the Indian defence attaché in Indonesia suggesting that the Indian Air Force lost fighter jets in the initial phase of Operation Sindoor as it was constrained by the mandate to not attack Pakistani military establishment and only target terrorist infrastructure. As the purported video of the remarks made by Captain Shiv Kumar on June 10 at a gathering surfaced on Sunday (June 29, 2025), the Indian Embassy in Jakarta said the officer only stated the fact that the Indian armed forces serve under political leadership, unlike some other countries in India's neighbourhood. The Indian Navy officer was speaking at a seminar on "Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power" at a university in Jakarta. The opposition Congress on Sunday cited the reported comments of the defence attaché on the loss of aircraft to accuse the government of having "misled" the country. However, the Indian Embassy said in a social media post, "His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker." "The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood," it said. The Embassy said it was explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory. In his presentation, the Indian defence attaché said in view of some "constraints" owing to the mandate decided by the "political leadership", the Indian Air Force could not attack Pakistani military installations in the initial phase operation. "We did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defence system," he said. "But after the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for the military installations. So we first achieved suppression and destruction of enemy air defence and then that is why all our attacks could easily go through using surface-to-air missiles and Brahmos surface-to-surface missiles," he said. Around a month back, Chief of Defence Staff Gen Anil Chauhan said in Singapore that India rectified tactics and hit deep inside Pakistani territory after suffering losses of aircraft in the recent military clashes with Pakistan. The Chief of Defence Staff did not specify the losses in terms of a number of platforms. India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7, targeting terrorist infrastructure in territories controlled by Pakistan in response to the Pahalgam terror attack. The strikes triggered four days of intense clashes that ended with an understanding on stopping the military actions on May 10. After the strikes at the terror infrastructure, India informed Pakistan that it does not want to escalate the situation and the strikes were aimed at terrorist bases. But as Pakistan launched a military retaliation, India responded to it very strongly.
Time of India
2 days ago
- Politics
- Time of India
IAF lost jets over ‘political call', says def attache; quoted out of context: Govt
NEW DELHI: IAF lost some fighter jets when it conducted strikes on nine terror hubs in Pakistan and PoK on May 7 because India's political leadership had directed that no military establishments or air defences across the border were to be attacked on that day, India's defence attache to Indonesia, Captain Shiv Kumar, said at a seminar earlier this month. The remarks by Captain Kumar, who is a colonel-rank officer from the Navy, followed an acknowledgment of IAF's initial losses by Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan on May 31 in Singapore but he did not specify the exact number of fighters shot down. Modi govt is yet to officially quantify IAF's losses during Operation Sindoor . Pakistan has claimed to have shot down six Indian fighters, including three French-origin Rafales, on May 7 itself - an assertion that CDS Chauhan dubbed as "absolutely incorrect". Captain Kumar's comments led Congress to renew its attack on govt over its handling of Operation Sindoor. Speaking at a seminar on 'Analysis of the Pakistan-India Air Battle and Indonesia's Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power' on June 10, Capt Kumar said he "may not agree (with an earlier Indonesian speaker's claim) that we lost so many aircraft, but I do agree we did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack their military establishments and air defences". by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Преносим лазерен заваръчен пистолет, 50% отстъпка днес HL Купете сега Undo "After the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for the military installations (and radar sites). So, we first achieved suppression of enemy air defences and then that's why all our attacks could easily go through using Brahmos missiles (on May 10)," he further said, his comments being in line with CDS Chauhan's statement in May that after initial losses, Indian armed forces took remedial measures and were able to carry out precision strikes at Pakistan's airbases. After Capt Kumar's 20-day-old remarks came to light and were cited by Congress to criticise govt, Indian embassy in Indonesia said Capt Kumar's remarks "have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker". "The presentation conveyed that the Indian armed forces serve under civilian political leadership, unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood. It was also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure and the Indian response was non-escalatory," it posted on X. Earlier, the CDS had said in Singapore, "What I can say is that on May 7, in the initial stages, there were losses. Numbers are not important. What was important is why did these losses occur, and what we will do after that."
