Pakistan downed Indian warplanes, Army Chief finally confirms

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) Anil Chauhan has finally confirmed that an Indian warplane was downed in a Pakistani aerial attack. The CDS is on a visit to Singapore to attend the Shangri-La summit. When questioned regarding the India-Pakistan conflict and Indian fighter jets, Anil did not say anything directly. 

Ambiguous Response on Fighter Jets Shot Down

During the interview, Anil was asked, " Did Pakistan shoot down Indian fighter jets? One or more?" The Chief of Indian Army said, "For us, it is not important that the fighter jet was destroyed. Why was it destroyed is important." He added, "The good news is that we learned our strategic error immediately and corrected it and used the same strategy again two days later. We downed all the fighter planes and attacked faraway targets." He did not respond further on how many fighter aircraft were damaged in the Pakistani strike. 

India’s Retaliatory Operation After Pahalgaon Attack

Following the terrorist attack in Pahalgaon on April 22, India undertook a number of steps, holding Pakistan responsible. An operation against Pakistan's military was conducted and a number of terrorist camps were targeted and destroyed. Pakistan also retaliated against India. India and Pakistan signed a ceasefire on May 10. US President Donald Trump announced the first ceasefire through social media. He said that the ceasefire was only made possible through the intervention of America. 

No Acknowledgment of Nuclear Threat or US Role

Anil did not make any direct response to Trump's assertion. But he did not wish to acknowledge that there was a situation of nuclear war between India and Pakistan. The Army Chief also stated that the path of controlling the situation through negotiations with Pakistan was always available.