Interior Minister Mohsin Naqvi on Sunday claimed that Pakistan possesses video evidence of the six Indian aircraft shot down during the May military confrontation between the two countries.
Speaking at a seminar in Lahore, Naqvi said that while radar data was available at the time of the clashes, authorities waited for field evidence before making an announcement. “Within minutes, we received video footage of all six planes, which were shot down. We have this footage,” he said.
The conflict erupted in May after India linked the Pahalgam attack to Islamabad without providing evidence, an allegation Pakistan strongly rejected. Pakistan said its forces destroyed six Indian jets, including French-made Rafale aircraft, while India admitted suffering losses but denied losing six planes.
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Naqvi credited Pakistan’s intelligence agencies for providing crucial early warnings during the confrontation. “Our institutions had information on India’s plans well ahead of time, what aircraft they would use. Their role was so important, but they do not come forward. We need to acknowledge them,” he noted.
He also described incidents in which Indian missiles targeted Pakistani bases. According to Naqvi, seven Indian missiles struck near one sensitive base but caused no damage, while Nur Khan Airbase near Rawalpindi was also targeted but remained intact. “We had damage at one base where a member of the air force was martyred, but that’s about it,” he added.
Naqvi said Pakistan’s missile response was carefully calculated to avoid civilian casualties, claiming a major Indian oil depot was destroyed in the process.
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The confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbors lasted nearly a week. On the night of May 6-7, India launched air strikes inside Pakistan that killed at least 40 civilians. Both sides then exchanged missile fire before a US-brokered ceasefire brought hostilities to an end.
In July, US President Donald Trump stated that five jets had been shot down during the conflict, without clarifying whether they were Indian or Pakistani. Last month, Chinese air force chief Lieutenant General Wang Gang praised the Pakistan Air Force’s performance, calling it a “decisive and measured response” under strong leadership.
