
20% PAF infrastructure destroyed, Chinese air defense failed miserably: US reveals stunning details about India's Op Sindoor, says Pakistan lost...
India Pakistan war: The Pakistan Air Force (PAF) lost around 20 percent of its military infrastructure during Operation Sindoor as Pakistan's Chinese-made air defense systems 'failed miserably' to stop Indian missile strikes that leveled key military structures inside the enemy country, a new reports by a US-based defense forum has revealed. Chinese air defenses failed against Indian missiles
According to the Indo-Pacific Defense Forum– a site related to the US Indo-Pacific Command– the United States kept a keen eye on last month's 4-day long India-Pakistan war, as the Pentagon was curious to gauge the quality and lethality of Chinese weapons being used by Pakistani forces.
However, according to the report, the Chinese weapons systems, especially its air defense systems, used by Pakistan, were found wanting as India successfully struck strategic targets deep inside the country. Speaking to Agence France-Presse (AFP), Bilal Khan, founder of the Toronto-based Kuwa Defence News and Analysis Group, noted that Chinese surface-to-air missile systems 'do not appear to be as effective as the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) may have hoped.'
Similarly, Sajjan Gohel, International Security Director at London-based think tank, Asia-Pacific Foundation, told CNN that Beijing's ability to sell its weapons, as well as its credibility, takes a major hit if 'Chinese-origin radars or missile systems indeed failed to detect or prevent Indian attacks'. PAF lost 20 percent infrastructure
As per the report, on the fourth day and last of fighting, the Indian Air Force (IAF) conducted precision missile strikes on as many as 11 Pakistani airbases, completely destroying about 20 percent of total military infrastructure of the Pakistan Air Force.
Earlier, Pakistan had rejected these claims as an exaggeration, but satellite images from US defense agencies prove that the damage claimed by India was indeed true. The fact has been confirmed by several reputed publications, including the New York Times, the report said.
In an article in The Japan Times, Indian geostrategist Brahma Chellaney wrote that India neutralized at least one SAAB-2000 airborne early warning system (AWACS). Chellaney claims the AWACS was shot down by an Indian surface-to-air missile fired from 314 kilometers away.
According to Chellaney, Western media and experts have analyzed the conflict between India and Pakistan for about a month, citing satellite pictures and other sources, and found that Indian air strikes destroyed major Pakistani air bases including Noor Khan and Bholari.
'The attack on Nur Khan, near Pakistan's nuclear command and army headquarters, was symbolic,' he writes, adding that 'Indian cruise missiles hitting Nur Khan sent a calculated message that India was targeting high-value targets and Pakistan had no means to defend itself.'
Hashtags

Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
&w=3840&q=100)

Business Standard
25 minutes ago
- Business Standard
National Sports Governance Bill to be tabled in monsoon session: Mandaviya
Sports Minister Mansukh Mandaviya on Monday said the long-awaited National Sports Governance Bill will be tabled in Parliament during the monsoon session beginning July 21. The minister, while speaking to the media on the sidelines of an event to launch department of youth affairs' initiatives against drug addiction, also reiterated the government's position that Pakistani athletes will not be stopped from coming to India for multi-lateral sporting engagements. "The bill will be tabled in the Parliament during the upcoming session. I will give more details in a couple of days," Mandaviya said. The bill seeks to ensure greater accountability for the country's sports administrators with the provision of a regulatory board which would have the power to grant recognition and decide funding to National Sports Federations (NSFs) based on their adherence to provisions related to good governance. The board will also be responsible for ensuring compliance with the highest governance, financial, and ethical standards. In addition, the draft sports bill proposes the establishment of Ethics Commissions and Dispute Resolution Commissions to ensure transparency in governance. It has been debated for a long time and has even been opposed by the Indian Olympic Association, which feels that a regulatory board would undermine its standing as the nodal body for all NSFs. Mandaviya reasserted the government's position that Pakistan's participation in international sports engagements in India won't be stopped despite the turbulent relations that have further deteriorated in the wake of the Pahalgam terror attack in April. Next month's men's Asia Cup hockey tournament (Bihar), the FIH Junior World Cup in November-December (Tamil Nadu) and the junior shooting World Cup (New Delhi) in September-October are the major events where Pakistani participation is expected. "Our stand is clear. We don't have any problems playing with Pakistan in any international sporting event, be it cricket, hockey or any other sport. But when it comes to bilateral engagements, the government position is known to all," Mandaviya said. The Pakistan Hockey Federation (PHF) has sought clearance from its government for participation in the two tournaments in India, but there is no clarity on whether it has been granted. "We have told Pakistan that we will grant them visas for the Asia Cup and Junior World Cup hockey tournaments but it is up to their government now to decide whether to send teams or not. We have no problem," the sports minister said. "Both are international tournaments and every team participating will be accorded the same treatment." The Asia Cup will be held in Rajgir from August 27 to September 7, while the Junior World Cup is scheduled from November 28 to December 10. The government's decision to allow Pakistan is based on the Olympic Charter which prohibits denial of participation due to political reasons. Such an act can lead to suspension of future hosting rights for that country. India are currently in the race to the host the 2036 Olympic Games and the 2030 Commonwealth Games.


The Print
30 minutes ago
- The Print
No legal, valid ‘citizenship' document that's issued—how it puts big question mark on ECI's Bihar exercise
The special intensive revision in Bihar involves an indicative list of 11 documents provided by the ECI to be submitted by eligible voters. Several petitioners before the Supreme Court have objected to the non-inclusion of documents like Aadhaar and voter ID in the list of acceptable documents. The last such intensive revision was carried out in the state in 2003. In its order directing the revision last month, the ECI had cited Article 326 of the Constitution, according to which elections to the Lok Sabha and legislative assemblies shall be on the basis of adult suffrage. This provision says, 'Every person who is a citizen of India and who is not less than eighteen years of age…shall be entitled to be registered as a voter at any such election.' New Delhi: The Election Commission of India's special intensive revision of electoral rolls in Bihar has raised several questions over the scope of the exercise, and the impact that it may have on the citizens' right to vote. While the petitions challenging the ECI's revision were being heard by the apex court Thursday, the poll body asserted that Aadhaar cannot be accepted as a proof of citizenship. Courts have, in the past, also ruled the same with respect to Aadhaar. So, is there a specific document issued under Citizenship Act, 1955, specifically certifying Indian citizenship? Experts say there isn't. Former election commissioner Ashok Lavasa told ThePrint that there is no clear document issued under the Citizenship Act, certifying that a person is a citizen. This means that while there are documents like the passport, which may serve as proof of a person being an Indian citizen, there isn't a document certifying such citizenship exclusively under the 1955 law. A lawyer familiar with the petitions challenging the revision of electoral rolls in Bihar explained, 'All the documents that they are asking for are going to show only the date and place of birth. Through that, you may extrapolate and say—okay, you're a citizen. But none of the documents, except the passport, is proof of citizenship. None of the others are indicative of citizenship at all.' The lawyer further told ThePrint that there is no document in India, which is a proof of citizenship per se, like a national citizenship card. 'The only document which is proof of citizenship in that sense is the passport, and the proof of citizenship in passport is ancillary to its main purpose, which is that it is a travel document for an Indian citizenship. And because it is such a travel document only for Indian citizens, it is considered a proof of citizenship, but it is not per se a proof only of citizenship.' Also Read: SC invokes 'document starvation' to suggest EC accept Aadhaar for special roll revision in Bihar What is a 'citizenship' proof? Citizenship in India is determined by the Citizenship Act, 1955, which lists down different methods of acquiring Indian citizenship—by birth, by descent, by registration, and by naturalisation. While citizenship by descent is for a person born outside India, citizenship by registration is for people including those of Indian origin, or those married to an Indian citizen. Citizenship by naturalisation is for foreigners. 'There is nothing called a 'citizenship certificate' for those who are citizens of India since the commencement of the Constitution or their descendants. There is also no stand-alone document for Indian citizens to prove their citizenship,' Guwahati-based lawyer Aman Wadud, who has worked on citizenship cases, told ThePrint. 'The group of people who have 'citizenship certificate' are those who get Indian citizenship by naturalisation, by registration, by descent, and those who have been granted citizenship under the Citizenship (Amendment) Act.' The 1955 Act talks about such a certificate only in cases of citizenship by descent, naturalisation and registration. As for the documents required, the Citizenship Rules, 2009 only talk about specific applications for registration under Sections 4 (descent), 5 (registration) and 6 (naturalisation). No such specific application is required to be submitted in case of citizenship by birth. 'Not citizenship, only identity' That most of the documents on the list provided by the ECI may not be proof of citizenship was highlighted by the Supreme Court Thursday as well. In case of Bihar, the 11 acceptable documents listed by the ECI are birth certificate, passport, matriculation certification, permanent residence certificate issued by a state authority, forest rights certificate, caste certificate, National Register of Citizens or NRC (wherever it exists), family register prepared by state/local authorities, any land/house allotment certificate by the government, any identity card or pension payment order issued to a regular employee or pensioner of central government/state government/PSU, or any such identity card/certificate/document issued by the government/local authorities/banks/post office/LIC/PSUs prior to 1 July, 1987. During the hearing, senior advocate Rakesh Dwivedi, appearing for the ECI, assured the court that the only purpose behind the exercise was to ensure that everyone who was eligible is on the electoral roll, and that it was looking at the aspects of citizenship and age. However, the court immediately pointed out, 'All the documents you have listed are related to identity.' Justice Joymalya Bagchi was quoted as saying, 'Why citizenship? Only identity. None of these illustrative documents that you listed or by themselves proof of citizenship.' This is why the petitioners have challenged the selection of documents by the ECI, alleging that the exercise is 'arbitrary, because the inclusions and the potential exclusion of documents do not make sense from the perspective of what they claim they are trying to do, that is to authenticate citizenship', the lawyer quoted earlier asserted, speaking to ThePrint. The Aadhaar dichotomy There seems to be a dichotomy between the ECI's resistance towards accepting Aadhaar for the revision in Bihar, and its past actions. ECI's manual on electoral rolls issued in March 2023 mentions the Aadhaar as an acceptable document to be attached with Form 6, the official application form used for new voter registration, or for those voters who may be shifting their residence from one constituency to another. It says that Aadhaar may be furnished, both as proof of age and proof of ordinary residence. Back in 2015, the commission had launched a nationwide comprehensive programme, National Electoral Roll Purification and Authentication Programme (NERPAP) with an objective of bringing an 'error-free and authenticated electoral roll' by linking EPIC (Electoral Photo Identity Card) data of electors with Aadhaar number, mobile number and e-mail. However, on 11 August that year, the Supreme Court passed an interim order in the petitions challenging the Aadhaar scheme, asserting that the production of an Aadhaar card would not be mandatory for obtaining any benefits, and that it would not be used for any purpose other than the PDS and LPG distribution schemes. Post this order, the poll body had halted its Aadhaar programme, directing its Electoral Officers to suspend all activities to collect and feed Aadhaar numbers of voters. 'Henceforth, no more collection of Aadhaar numbers from electors or feeding/seeding of collected Aadhaar data shall be done by any election authority or official connected with NERPAP,' the commission's directive had reportedly read. In 2021, on the ECI's recommendation, the government had amended the Representation of People Act, 1950, introducing a new form 6B to collect Aadhaar numbers from existing electors on voluntary basis for authentication of his entries in the electoral roll. Also Read: Congress, TMC oppose EC's 'special intensive revision' of electoral rolls in poll-bound Bihar What is ECI's mandate? The revision exercise in Bihar has triggered concerns over the commission indirectly entering the domain of determining citizenship of citizens through the revision of voter rolls. During the latest hearing in the top court in the case, senior advocate Kapil Sibal, appearing for Rashtriya Janata Dal MP Manoj Kumar Jha, asserted that it is only the Government of India that can contest a person's citizenship, and not a 'small officer of the EC'. 'The Supreme Court has said in many cases that it is not the remit of the Election Commission to go into the citizenship aspect. That is creating a little problem here,' Former Lok Sabha secretary general and Constitutional expert P.D.T. Achary told ThePrint. 'The job of preparing or revising the voters list is with the ECI. When the ECI is preparing the list, the question is whether they have the power to go into the question of citizenship. How will they decide whether a person is a citizen of India or not? What are the guidelines or the documents which the ECI can ask for, that is not clear at all.' Achary pointed out that the Representation of Peoples Act does not deal with this aspect at all. 'That means, the Election Commission does not have the remit to decide this question, because it can only be decided by the Home Ministry, which administers the Citizenship Act,' he said. 'ECI is thinking about this only because Article 326 stipulates citizenship as one of the conditions of eligibility, and its question is genuine. But I don't know why they are thinking about it now, when all these years they have not been doing it. There is a presumption that a person is a citizen.' The inclusions and exclusions The 1995 Citizenship Act is administered by the Ministry of Home Affairs, which is tasked with framing the rules under the law and overseeing its implementation. During the hearing Thursday, when advocate Dwivedi asserted that Aadhaar isn't proof of citizenship, Justice Sudhanshu Dhulia shot back saying, 'But citizenship is an issue to be determined not by the Election Commission of India, but by the MHA.' Former EC Lavasa also points out that it is the MHA which is tasked with determining citizenship under the 1955 law. 'Every Act has its own administrative mechanism. That administrative mechanism is supposed to carry out the functions that it is responsible for,' he told ThePrint. Apart from exclusion of Aadhaar, Achary is also troubled by the fact that the commission isn't accepting voter ID cards as well. 'That is a very strange position to take, that you have given the voter identity card, which is given to a person who is enrolled as a voter, and that voter's list was prepared under the law and the Constitution. What question remains after that? What is the value of this document?' he remarked. Besides, the petitions filed by the top court point to several issues that emerge from each of the 11 documents. For instance, Rajya Sabha MP Jha's petition cites various government surveys and data to highlight that a negligible part of Bihar's population holds several of these documents, including birth certificate, passport, permanent residence certificate, and identity card/pension payment order issued to regular government employees. It also points out that at least two in this list—NRC and family register—do not apply to Bihar. How have revisions been done before? Intensive revisions have taken place ever since the first general elections in the country. For instance, the preparation of first electoral rolls began in 1947, well before the 1950 Act, or the establishment of the ECI. However, it was noticed that in the rolls used for the first elections, several names of women electors had to be deleted because they were enrolled as 'mother of' or 'wife of', instead of their proper names. To fix this, after the first election in 1952, the ECI had directed revision of electoral rolls in 1/5th of each state annually from 1952 to 1956 to finish the exercise before the Lok Sabha polls in 1957, and 1/3rd of each state annually from 1957 to 1961 to complete the exercise before the 1962 polls. Post this, the commission had said that summary revisions should be sufficient in 1962 and 1964, while intensive revision was conducted once again in 1965 in 40 percent of the country, and in 1966 in the remaining 60 percent areas. Lavasa explained that the approach in earlier intensive revision exercises was 'very simple'. 'In case of intensive revision, it was done as a fresh exercise. During house-to-house verification, the head of the family gave the names of the people who lived in the same house. The ERO would then put out a draft roll, and the expectation was that if a person had given false information, somebody would object to it,' he said. In the normal course also, if someone objects to a person's eligibility as a voter, it is on the objector to prove the claim that a voter is not eligible, unlike the current exercise in Bihar, where the burden of proof of citizenship has been placed on the already-enrolled voters. However, Lavasa asserted, the old 2003 order directing intensive revision should be made available to check how that exercise had been undertaken. 'Till that notification is available, it is difficult to say with certainty how it was done in 2003.' (Edited by Mannat Chugh) Also Read: 'Arbitrary, to be replicated in Bengal.' What pleas by ADR, Mahua challenging EC's Bihar exercise say


Time of India
30 minutes ago
- Time of India
Pakistan cricket in turmoil! Audit exposes crores in corruption and overpayments
NEW DELHI: The Auditor General of Pakistan has flagged major financial irregularities amounting to millions of rupees within the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB), including unauthorised appointments and excess payments to match officials. The audit report points to instances of corruption during 2023, when the board was under the leadership of Mohsin Naqvi and Zaka Ashraf. Among the key findings is the misappropriation of 63.39 million Pakistani rupees paid to police for providing meals during international match security duties. The report also highlights the unauthorized hiring of three under-16 coaches at the Karachi High Performance Centre, which resulted in salary payouts of 5.4 million rupees. Go Beyond The Boundary with our YouTube channel. SUBSCRIBE NOW! Further, match officials were overpaid by 3.9 million rupees, raising concerns around potential match-fixing. The report also questions the hiring of a Media Director with a hefty monthly salary of 900,000 rupees. Additionally, the audit notes that ticketing contracts were awarded without following proper competitive bidding procedures. These revelations have further strained the PCB's already fragile administrative reputation. by Taboola by Taboola Sponsored Links Sponsored Links Promoted Links Promoted Links You May Like Is it legal? How to get Internet without paying a subscription? Techno Mag Learn More Undo PCB Chairman Mohsin Naqvi—who concurrently serves as Pakistan's Interior Minister—is now under heightened scrutiny. However, his ministerial position grants him certain legal protections. Washington Sundar press conference: On Gautam Gambhir's support, last over drama, winning at Lord's The board has already come under fire following Pakistan's early exit from the Champions Trophy, which they hosted. Fans and officials have also criticised the frequent changes in coaching staff and team leadership over the past two years. These audit findings add to the growing list of controversies surrounding the PCB and offer detailed evidence of financial mismanagement within the country's cricket administration. For real-time updates, scores, and highlights, follow our live coverage of the India vs England Test match here. Catch Rani Rampal's inspiring story on Game On, Episode 4. Watch Here!