Defence attache says jets lost to Pak due to constraints. Then, a clarification
The Indian Embassy in Indonesia on Sunday said the remarks made by its defence attache at a recent seminar, in which he indicated that the Indian Air Force (IAF) lost jets to Pakistan during Operation Sindoor due to political constraints, were 'taken out of context' and 'misrepresented'.The clarification followed after the Congress latched onto the Navy officer's admission and accused the Modi government of misleading the nation on military losses suffered during a four-day conflict with Pakistan in May.advertisementWHAT DEFENCE ATTACHE SAIDDuring a presentation at a seminar in Jakarta on June 10, India's defence attache to Indonesia, Captain (Indian Navy) Shiv Kumar, acknowledged that the IAF lost 'some aircraft' when it struck terror-linked sites under Operation Sindoor.
He said the Indian forces had been directed not to target Pakistan's military infrastructure or air defences. 'Only because of the constraint given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defences,' he said, explaining why the IAF suffered the loss of fighter jets.Captain Kumar also stated that, after the initial setback, Indian forces adjusted their strategy: 'After the loss, we changed our tactics and we went for the military installations... we first achieved suppression of enemy air defences and then... all our attacks could easily go through using BrahMos missiles.' advertisementEMBASSY SAYS REMARKS MISREPRESENTEDAfter the Navy officer's remarks came to light and stoked controversy back home, the Indian Embassy in Jakarta issued a sternly-worded clarification.'His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker,' it said in a post on X.
According to the mission, the attache was simply reiterating that Operation Sindoor's aim was to target terrorist infrastructure and the civilian government's orders to the military were to maintain a non-escalatory posture.'The presentation conveyed that the Indian Armed Forces serve under civilian political leadership, unlike some other countries in our neighbourhood,' the embassy added, in a veiled jab at Pakistan.DIRECT INDICTMENT OF GOVERNMENT: CONGRESSThe Congress was quick to seize on the defence attache's remarks. The party's communications chief Jairam Ramesh demanded transparency.'Why is the PM refusing to preside over an all-party meeting and take the Opposition into confidence? Why has the demand for a special session of Parliament been rejected?" he tweeted.advertisementSenior Congress leader Pawan Khera called the developments 'a direct indictment' of the Modi government and Defence Minister Rajnath Singh.Stepping up the attack, he said, 'They know they've compromised national security, and they're terrified of what the Congress Party will expose before the people of India.'Khera cited earlier statements from Chief of Defence Staff General Anil Chauhan, who had acknowledged losses during the early phases of Operation Sindoor but did not offer specific numbers.Last month, Gen Chauhan told Bloomberg in Singapore that India changed tactics after the loss of aircraft, shifting to deeper strikes and more aggressive suppression of enemy air defences.The top military general had also rejected Pakistani claims of having downed six Indian jets, calling them 'absolutely incorrect.'He had asserted that the losses were tactical lessons: 'What is important is not the jet being down, but why they were being down.'- Ends
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