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The Diplomat
6 days ago
- Politics
- The Diplomat
Who Won the 100-hour War? Pakistan or India?
The government of India continues to field awkward questions about whether the Indian Air Force (IAF) won or lost the 100-hour war that it launched against the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) on May 7. In a mission that was designated Operation Sindoor, IAF combat aircraft were launched at terrorist targets inside Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir, two weeks after a group of Pakistan-backed terrorists gunned down 26 tourists in Pahalgam – a resort in the disputed province of Kashmir. With the Indian public seething and demanding retaliation, the IAF launched punitive air strikes on May 7, relying on its fighter aircraft and BrahMos missiles. At the end of four days of fighting, it was Pakistan that was claiming victory, arguing that it had shot down six IAF fighter jets without any losses of its own. The IAF accepted losing a small number of combat aircraft, but claimed that all its pilots were back home safely. Neither the IAF nor the PAF could support their claims by displaying captured pilots or aircraft wreckage. Even if they had done so, that would have indicated only that neither side's warplanes crossed the border. Instead, they minimized casualties by launching missiles and bombs from their own side of the border, inflicting damage with precision-guided munitions (PGMs), such as the BrahMos cruise missiles. Truth-telling in Jakarta The controversy over casualties bubbled over again on June 10 in Jakarta, when India's defense attaché to Indonesia, Captain Shiva Kumar of the Indian Navy, acknowledged that the IAF lost 'some aircraft' when they initially struck terrorist camps and PAF bases in mainland Pakistan under Operation Sindoor. Speaking at a seminar in Jakarta, Kumar said that the IAF reacted to its initial aircraft losses by modifying its combat tactics. Responding to a previous presenter at the seminar who referenced Pakistan's claim that India lost six aircraft, Kumar said: 'I may not agree with him that India lost so many aircraft. But, I do agree that we did lose some aircraft and that happened only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishments and their air defenses.' In a subsequent statement, the Indian Embassy said that Kumar's 'remarks were misquoted and media reports reflect a misrepresentation of the purpose and tenor of the presentation.' The presentation was to demonstrate that 'India's Indian Armed Forces operates under civilian leadership, which is different from many other countries that are in this region. The statement also clarified that the goal for Operation Sindoor was to target the terrorist infrastructure, and that India's response was non-escalatory,' it said. Since the start of Operation Sindoor, Pakistani and Indian military experts, political leaders and the public in both countries have been apportioning victory and defeat by comparing the number of aircraft shot down by both air forces. In the circumstances, the IAF could hardly call off Operation Sindoor when its net score of Pakistani combat aircraft casualties was less than the numbers scored by the PAF. That was why the IAF, abandoning restraint, switched to pounding Pakistani military targets. The restraint was intended to drive home the message that Indian patience was limited. 'After the loss [of May 7],' explained Kumar, 'we changed our tactics and went for their military installations. We first achieved suppression of enemy air defenses [SEAD] and destruction of enemy air defenses [DEAD] and that's why all our [subsequent] attacks could easily go through using surface-to-air missiles and surface-to-surface missiles…On May 8, 9 and 10, there was complete air superiority by India.' At the seminar in Jakarta, Tommy Tamtomo, vice chairman of the Indonesia Center of Air Power Studies, cited figures that were significantly more flattering for the IAF. He said that PAF lost six fighter jets, two Airborne Warning and Control Systems (AWACS) aircraft, and a military transport plane. 'India lost a lot, but Pakistan also lost a lot. Maybe more than India,' he said at the seminar. Coming, as the statement was, from an Indonesian official, this is seen to reflect the ground reality more accurately. Indian officials also explained that the objective of Operation Sindoor was to target terrorist infrastructure, while the decision to avoid PAF infrastructure and bases was a non-escalatory measure. Earlier, India's senior-most defense official, Chief of Defense Staff General Anil Chauhan, flatly rejected the Pakistani military's claim that it had downed six IAF fighter jets. Chauhan termed the claims 'absolutely incorrect.' Lessons of Balakot In its reactions and retaliation to the Pahalgam terror attack, the IAF largely followed the steps it had taken in response to the terrorist attack on February 14, 2019, when a vehicle convoy transporting Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) troopers to Kashmir was attacked by a vehicle-borne suicide bomber near Pulwama in Kashmir. That blast, which killed 40 CRPF personnel, was owned by Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM), a banned terror outfit from Pakistan. In retaliation for the February 14 attack, the IAF struck a JeM terrorist camp at Balakot in Pakistan's Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province. This was the first time since the 1971 War that IAF aircraft had struck targets on Pakistani soil. However, the IAF aircraft launched their weapons from Indian airspace, so as to reduce the provocation. Like after the attack on Balakot, the IAF admitted having lost aircraft during Operation Sindoor, but declined to confirm the number of aircraft lost. Losses were attributed to the constraint imposed by India's political leadership not to attack the Pakistani military establishments and its air defenses. 'No military installations, no civil installations, nothing which was not connected to terrorists were to be targeted,' Kumar said of New Delhi's operational guidelines. The PAF's retaliation to the February 26, 2019, air strikes was prompt, coming the next day in the form of Pakistani air strikes on a range of targets in Kashmir. In the ensuing aerial battle, the IAF claimed to have shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter aircraft while losing a MIG-21 whose pilot was captured after he ejected over Pakistani-held territory. Fortunately, an 'off-ramp' was readily available. Mediation by Washington led to the IAF pilot's repatriation within 48 hours, allowing both India and Pakistan to declare victory. For the present, India's domestic politics has overtaken military events. Accusing the Modi government of misleading Parliament, the opposition Congress Party has demanded a special session of Parliament and an all-party meeting to discuss this issue. So, who came out on top in this skirmish, India or Pakistan? From a purely tactical and operational standpoint, it would appear as if the PAF won the numbers game, downing a larger number of combat aircraft while warding off the numerically larger IAF. Yet that would be a fallacious and incomplete assessment. The Indian military demonstrated conclusively that it had no appetite for Pakistan-sponsored terrorism and that it would not hesitate to retaliate against future Pakistani transgressions with armed force. In calling off hostilities before too much damage was done, New Delhi demonstrated its awareness of its own strengths and weaknesses and the confidence of a growing power.
Time of India
29-06-2025
- Time of India
Flying flex crashes into SUV on Tumakuru Road in Bengaluru; family alleges negligence
Bengaluru: A family had a narrow escape after a flex banner, being removed from the elevated expressway on Tumakuru Road, flew off and struck their SUV near Eighth Mile Saturday afternoon. The flex damaged the vehicle's windshield and nearly hit a biker, though no injuries were reported. The incident, captured on the SUV's dashcam, occurred around 1pm. Chaitra, who was travelling with her husband and child, said the flex came loose as National Highways Authority of India (NHAI) staff were removing banners on the sidewall. "It struck our windshield and could have caused a fatal accident had it obstructed our view," she said in a video. She questioned the unscientific method used by NHAI workers. "Had we applied sudden brake, we might have veered off the flyover. What if the banner hit a biker?" she asked. You Can Also Check: Bengaluru AQI | Weather in Bengaluru | Bank Holidays in Bengaluru | Public Holidays in Bengaluru The family confronted the staff and approached the NHAI office near the Nelamangala toll. They were assured of compensation for the windshield but alleged officials have since stopped responding. Chaitra's father, Shiva Kumar, said: "They offered us Rs 5,000. But we're not after money, it's about public safety." He added that it remains unclear whether the flexes were authorised. "Such banners shouldn't be allowed on flyovers in the first place." Despite video evidence, no police complaint has been filed. Peenya traffic and law and order police confirmed the incident was not reported to them. Locals who gathered at the spot were seen arguing with the NHAI staff over the handling of the situation.
India.com
27-06-2025
- India.com
Andhra Woman Dies As Electric Scooter Battery Explodes During Charging
A woman was killed when the battery of an electric two-wheeler that was being charged exploded in their house in Andhra Pradesh's YSR Kadapa district on Friday. The incident occurred in Potladurthi village of Yerraguntla mandal (block) of Kadapa district on Friday. The scooter, which was kept on charging, exploded, resulting in the death of a woman who was asleep on a sofa near the two-wheeler. The woman identified as Venkata Lakshmamma (62) suffered burn injuries and died on the spot. The vehicle caught fire with the explosion and was completely gutted. Some household items were partially burnt in the fire. Police registered a case and took up an investigation. The body of the deceased was shifted to government hospital at Produttur for autopsy. Similar incidents were reported in Andhra Pradesh and Telangana in recent years. During 2022, the Telugu states witnessed about eight incidents of e-bikes, houses and even e-bike showrooms and a hotel catching fire due to e-batteries exploding, killing 10 people and injuring many others. Almost all the incidents took place when e-bikes were kept on charge and it is suspected that overcharging triggered the explosions. The biggest disaster happened in Hyderabad in September 2022 when eight people lost their lives after a fire broke out in an e-bike showroom in the cellar of a multi-storeyed building and spread to a hotel on the upper floors. The fire was caused by a short circuit which was triggered due to overcharging of the EVs. In October 2022, as many as 36 electric bikes were gutted in a huge fire in a showroom in Palakonda town of Andhra Pradesh's Parvathipuram district. In November 2024, a fire broke out after the battery of an electric scooter exploded in Jagital district. A person, who had purchased the two-wheeler three months ago, had put the scooter for charging in his house. In April 2022, a man was killed and his three family members were injured when a battery of a scooty exploded at their house in Vijayawada. Kotakonda Shiva Kumar (40) was killed and his wife and their two children sustained burn injuries when the scooty, kept on charging, exploded. The incident had occurred just a day after the man purchased the electric scooter. The same month, an 80-year-old man was killed and two others injured in Telangana's Nizamabad district when the battery of electric two-wheeler had exploded. The incident occurred in a house where the battery was being charged.
Time of India
22-06-2025
- Time of India
Man held for smuggling 82 protected turtles in US Nagar
Rudrapur: A 26-year-old man was arrested for smuggling 82 live turtles of a protected species in Gadarpur, Udham Singh Nagar district, on Sunday. Gadarpur police intercepted a bike without a number plate near the Alakhdevi border bridge during a routine check. They found two plastic sacks tied to either side of the bike, each containing turtles belonging to prohibited Indian Flapshell species. The accused, Shiva Kumar, a resident of Tanda Banjara, Sultanpur Patti, under the jurisdiction of Bazpur police station, was taken into custody. A case has been registered against him under Wildlife Protection Act, 1972. Gadarpur SHO Mukesh Mishra said, "We are verifying Kumar's criminal background. Transporting protected species is a serious offence, and strict action will be taken against those involved in such illegal trade." The rescued turtles have been handed over to forest department officials for rehabilitation.
Time of India
22-05-2025
- Health
- Time of India
Madurai vets restore bull's fractured jaw after accident
Madurai: A five-year-old bull trained for jallikattu underwent a complex jaw reconstruction surgery after it sustained injuries in a road accident. The procedure was successfully performed by a veterinary team from the Madurai polyclinic on Wednesday. According to doctors, the bull from Tirupattur in Sivaganga district was struck by a two-wheeler, leaving it with a serious injury to its face. Shiva Kumar, the bull owner, said, "The bull could not even close its mouth; the whole jaw portion was swollen due to the injury. As the doctors could not perform surgery without reducing the swelling, primary treatment and medication were given by the veterinarians from the polyclinic. During the last five days, the bull could not open its mouth, so we had to feed it using a funnel," Shivakumar said. C Meril Raj, assistant veterinary surgeon, said that upon examination, veterinarians identified fractures on both sides of the jaw. Due to the sensitive location of the injury, using metal plates was deemed unviable, added Raj. "The treatment was especially delicate due to the bull's temperament, which is a Puliyankulam breed known for its aggressiveness and its size," Dr Raj explained. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Premium Farm plots Near Ramanagara Hosachiguru Learn More Undo The 300kg animal required a combination of sedation and general anaesthesia to remain calm throughout the procedure. Apart from the fractures, the bull also suffered cuts to its tongue, gums, and teeth, which were stitched up as part of the surgery. Instead of internal fixation, the team opted for an external skeletal support system. Using Steinmann pins, clamps, and rods, they secured the jaw in place, inserting three pins on each side to limit movement and facilitate healing. The animal is expected to recover over the next two months, during which its diet has been restricted to soft food items like fruits and porridge to avoid stress on the jaw. The surgeon urged motorists and owners of animals to be more alert, especially in areas where animals are commonly found near roads. "What might seem like a minor incident can cause significant harm to an animal's life," he added.
