Following the Indian military offensive named “Operation Sindoor” in Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir early Wednesday (May 7), Islamabad has claimed to have shot down at least five Indian fighter jets. However, no photos or videos have been released to support this claim, and India has neither confirmed nor denied it—leading to widespread uncertainty.
It remains unclear exactly how many jets were downed or where the incidents occurred.
Earlier in the day, India’s prominent newspaper The Hindu reported that three Indian jets were downed in Jammu and Kashmir. However, the report was later removed from their website, and related social media posts were deleted—fueling further
International agencies like Reuters and The New York Times have also reported that multiple Indian jets were shot down, and neither has retracted their coverage.
Reuters stated that three jets were downed in India-administered Kashmir, while The New York Times reported that at least two aircraft were destroyed in India and Indian-administered Kashmir.
Meanwhile, citing Indian military sources, several Indian media outlets reported on Wednesday that all pilots involved in Operation Sindoor are safe.
However, India has remained silent on whether the aircraft themselves are safe, leading to growing questions.
What Has Pakistan Said?
The claim about shooting down five Indian fighter jets was first made to Bloomberg by Pakistan’s Deputy Prime Minister and Defence Minister Ishaq Dar, though he did not provide further details.
Later, Pakistan military spokesperson Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry claimed the five downed jets included three advanced Rafales, one Sukhoi, and one MiG-29.
In the evening, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif told Pakistan’s Parliament that the country’s defense forces had shot down five Indian fighter jets. He said two of the jets were downed in Kashmir and one in Bathinda, India.
Sharif also claimed that India launched a fully prepared offensive overnight involving 80 aircraft, and that three of the destroyed jets were Rafales—jets India is “very proud of.”
He added that Pakistan was already aware of India’s plans and was fully prepared to intercept the Indian aircraft and shoot them down into the sea.
India’s Silence and The Hindu’s Disappearing Report
During a press conference in Delhi on Wednesday morning, Indian officials made no mention of any aircraft losses or damage. Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri and two female military officers led the briefing, where journalists were reportedly not allowed to ask questions.
Later, Defense Minister Rajnath Singh also gave a statement but omitted any reference to aircraft being shot down.
Meanwhile, The Hindu initially reported that three Indian jets had crashed in the Akhnoor, Ramban, and Pampore sectors of Jammu and Kashmir. The report was also posted on the newspaper’s official X (formerly Twitter) handle, but was mysteriously deleted shortly afterward, without any explanation.
BBC Urdu correspondent Riyaz Masroor, reporting from Pulwama, witnessed what appeared to be a part of a downed aircraft being quickly removed by bulldozer, and recorded the scene.
Reuters and New York Times Coverage
Reuters reported that three jets crashed in Jammu and Kashmir, citing local administrative sources. They also released a video showing wreckage in the backyard of a house in Wayan village, Kashmir.
The New York Times also shed light on the incident, stating that evidence of significant losses suffered by Indian forces during the operation is gradually emerging.
The newspaper reported:
"At least two Indian aircraft were downed in India or Indian-administered Kashmir — as indicated by reports from at least three officials, local media, and eyewitnesses who saw the wreckage."Reporters from Delhi and Islamabad confirmed that one Indian official acknowledged the crash of three aircraft, though the cause remained unclear.
Two other Indian security officials also confirmed that “a few Indian jets were shot down” but declined to elaborate. All three spoke on condition of anonymity.
Some Indian news channels and eyewitnesses reported that at least one jet crashed in Kashmir, while another went down in Punjab.
Notably, Bathinda, where Pakistan claimed to have shot down one aircraft, is located in the Punjab state of India.
NYT’s Visual Analysis and Expert Insight
The New York Times further reported that the debris seen in Wayan village in Kashmir, shared by eyewitnesses, was analyzed by a well-known military expert.
Trevor Bell, affiliated with Armament Research Services, concluded that the debris was from an external fuel tank—likely from a Rafale or Mirage fighter jet, both of which are used by the Indian Air Force.
However, Bell couldn’t confirm whether the tank fell due to a shootdown.
What BBC Verify Found
BBC Verify analyzed the available video footage reportedly showing parts of downed jets involved in the strikes on Pakistan and Pakistan-administered Kashmir.
One video, believed to be from Pampore, shows the removal of a drop tank from a jet, which could have been jettisoned and does not necessarily indicate a shootdown.
Another clip also shows a piece of a drop tank, believed to belong to a Dassault Mirage 2000—a model used by the Indian Air Force.
In another video from Akaliana Kalan village near Bathinda, Punjab, a piece of missile wreckage is claimed to be shown.
Justin Crump, a former British military officer now running an intelligence firm, suggested the debris appeared to be from an air-to-air missile, likely of French origin, used in Rafale and Mirage 2000 jets.