In a critique of the statement made by the Air Force Chief on August 9 in Bengaluru, claiming that during Operation Sindoor India shot down five Pakistani fighter jets and a large aircraft and, additionally, very possibly damaged or destroyed an unspecified number of Pakistani F-16s on the ground, the editor of Force Magazine has strongly questioned this claim.

Pravin Sawhney says: “The Air Chief’s claim doesn’t stand to scrutiny at all. There are far too many gaps.” Then, pointedly, Mr. Sawhney asks: “Where is the evidence?” In a 23-minute interview to Karan Thapar for The Wire, Sawhney said he believes the claim about shooting down Pakistani planes was “a last minute instruction given to the Chief by somebody”, though Sawhney would not indicate who that person or persons might be.

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