Trump Repeats Claim of Five Jets Downed in India-Pakistan Standoff

News Desk

Islamabad: Former U.S. President Donald Trump has once again taken credit for defusing tensions between nuclear-armed neighbors India and Pakistan, asserting that he helped prevent a potentially catastrophic war.

Speaking at a political event this week, Trump claimed, “They shot down five planes in the last attack. It was back and forth, back and forth. I called them and I said no more trade if you do this. They are both powerful nuclear nations. Who knows where that would have ended up and I stopped it.”

This is not the first time Trump has made such a statement. In May, during a dinner with Republican lawmakers at the White House, he referred to an April attack in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir (IIOJK), saying that four or five fighter jets had been shot down in the aftermath.

“In fact, planes were being shot out of the air. Five, five, four or five, but I think five jets were shot down actually,” he said at the time, without identifying which side sustained the losses.

Pakistan Claims to Have Downed Six Indian Aircraft

Senior Pakistani defense officials claim that during the intense exchange, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) downed six Indian aircraft. These reportedly included:

• Three Rafale fighter jets
• One MiG-29
• One Sukhoi Su-30
• One Israeli-made Heron surveillance drone

According to Pakistani sources, all the aircraft were intercepted before entering Pakistani airspace, and the PAF sustained no aerial losses. The reported destruction of India’s Rafale jets—acquired under a high-profile and controversial defense deal with France—allegedly caused Dassault Aviation’s shares to drop by 6%, reflecting concerns over the aircraft’s battlefield performance.

India Denies Major Losses

India has rejected claims of such aircraft losses, especially the downing of Rafales and MiG-29s. Indian military officials acknowledged facing “initial setbacks” but did not confirm the destruction of any specific aircraft. New Delhi also claimed it had downed “a few” Pakistani jets—an assertion that Islamabad firmly denies.

Trump’s Ceasefire Intervention

Trump has repeatedly asserted that U.S. diplomatic pressure played a decisive role in preventing the situation from spiraling out of control. In both his May remarks and his recent statements, he suggested that his threat to suspend trade with both nations compelled them to step back from the brink.

“I called them and said: no more trade if you do this,” Trump said, without clarifying whether he had spoken directly to Indian or Pakistani leaders.

India, however, has publicly refuted Trump’s version of events. New Delhi maintains that all issues with Pakistan must be resolved bilaterally, without third-party mediation—a longstanding position in its foreign policy.

Triggering Incident: Attack in IIOJK

The flare-up began with an attack in April in Indian Illegally Occupied Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 Indian paramilitary personnel and civilians. India blamed Pakistan-based militant groups for the assault, while Islamabad denied any involvement and called for an impartial international investigation.

India retaliated by bombing what it claimed were militant training camps inside Pakistani territory on May 7. In response, Pakistan launched a series of countermeasures including ground operations, artillery shelling, drone interceptions, and air-to-air combat, resulting in one of the most serious military confrontations since the 2019 Pulwama-Balakot crisis.