Singapore (Brussels Morning Newspaper) – India’s top general said on Saturday that the country changed strategy after losing air battles against Pakistan on the first day of the conflict earlier this month and gained a clear lead before the neighbours declared a truce three days later.
An incident in Indian Kashmir on April 22 that killed 26 people, mostly tourists, set off the worst conflict between India and Pakistan in decades. Islamabad refuted New Delhi’s accusation that Pakistan-backed terrorists were responsible for the event.
Indian aircraft targeted facilities across the border that New Delhi referred to be “terrorist infrastructure” on May 7. According to Pakistan, during the early skirmishes, it shot down six Indian aircraft, including at least three Rafale jets. Following fierce combat in which both sides employed fighter planes, missiles, drones, and artillery, the truce was declared on May 10.
Why did India revise its air battle strategy?
General Anil Chauhan, India’s chief of defence staff, stated in an interview that India experienced initial air losses but refused to provide further particulars.
On the fringes of the Shangri-La Dialogue security meeting in Singapore, he told Reuters,
“What was important is why did these losses occur, and what we’ll do after that,”
In reference to Pakistan’s allegation of downing planes.
“So we rectified our tactics and subsequently returned on the 7th, 8th, and 10th in substantial numbers to strike at air bases deep within Pakistan, penetrating all their air defences with ease and conducting precision operations strikes.”
He stated that the Indian Air Force flew all types of aircraft with all types of ordnance on the 10th.
How did Pakistan claim to down Indian jets?
According to the Pakistan military, India did not launch any fighter jets in the conflict again after sustaining losses on 7 May. Moreover, Earlier this month, Air Marshal A.K. Bharti, India’s director general of air operations, stated at a news conference that “losses are a part of combat” and that India had shot down a few Pakistani aircraft.
Was nuclear escalation ever considered by either side?
Both Chauhan and Gen. Sahir Shamshad Mirza, the chairman of Pakistan’s joint chiefs of staff, have stated that there was never any risk that nuclear weapons were being contemplated during the battle.
Did China support Pakistan during the armed conflict?
Chauhan also stated that despite Pakistan’s close ties with China, which shares a border with India to the north and east, there was no indication of any concrete support from Beijing during the conflict.
“While from the 22nd of April onwards, this was unfolding. We didn’t detect any unusual activity at the operational or tactical level of our northern borders, and things were generally calm right.”
Chauhan responded to a question about whether China may have given Pakistan access to any satellite images or other real-time information during the conflict by saying that it was commercially accessible and could have been acquired from China and other sources.
