RIVAL accounts of what actually happened in the recent smart war between Pakistan and India were doubted by some global circles as part of information war but the latest acknowledgement of losses by an Indian leader has vindicated the claims made by Pakistan, putting all rumours to rest.
In a rare and candid admission, senior BJP leader Subramanian Swamy has acknowledged that Pakistan shot down five Indian Air Force (IAF) jets during the recent conflict.
Speaking in an interview, Swamy said the Indian planes were defeated in air combat, as Pakistan deployed Chinese fighter jets which outperformed the French-made aircraft used by New Delhi.
He went on to make a startling claim regarding the controversial Rafale deal, alleging corruption in the procurement process, adding a fair inquiry into the deal or downing of the fighter jets was not expected as long as Narendra Modi was in power.
The acknowledgement of the BJP leader, an insider, was also an indirect tribute to the professional skills of Pakistan’s defence forces and optimum use of the available resources besides confirming the technological superiority of the Chinese-made fighter planes J-10C and PL-15 missiles.
His revelation will end debate on whether or not Pakistan actually shot down six Indian aircraft in the war, allowing defence analysts and strategists to ponder over technical and practical aspects of a major air fight of the modern era.
This confirmation might serve as a further blow to the already under pressure aircraft industry of France as loss of otherwise three state-of-the-art Rafale aircraft, each one with a final price tag of about $300 million, will seriously affect under discussion bilateral deals with other countries or future marketing of the jet.
As against this, it will facilitate decision-making by several potential customers to make a choice between Rafales and J-10Cs, giving a boost to the defence industry of China.
It is a reality that the use of Chengdu J-10Cs by Pakistan marked the first time the Chinese planes and the PL-15 missiles they were carrying have been used in combat anywhere in the world, giving military analysts a rare glimpse of their capabilities and Chinas military, the PLA, a crucial test case.
Andrew Small, a Berlin-based senior fellow at the German Marshall Fund has aptly summarized the phenomenon by drawing the conclusion that China gets particular benefit from seeing its weapons used against western equivalents.
It gives them a chance to assess their performance under far more complex and challenging conditions than usual and with Pakistan this is not just about the fighter jets themselves, it’s about the missiles, the radar systems and the whole technology spine of the Pakistani military, from electronic warfare capabilities to satellite systems.
The excellent performance of Pakistan defence forces and their intelligent usage of the Chinese weapon systems has not only attracted global appreciation for them but also lent credibility to the Chinese technology, which now stands tested in an actual conflict.
This is important and will have far-reaching implications for the regional security and balance of power in the backdrop of the fact that India amassed weapons of all sorts from all resources ranging from the Western countries, Israel and the Russian Federation but everything fared badly in the actual combat, raising also questions about professionalism, training and morale of the Indian forces.
The confirmation of the Pakistani claims about downing of the Indian planes also lends credibility to the country’s claims about other aspects of the war like targeting of S-400 system, Brahmos storage depot, cyber warfare, crippling of India’s electricity networks and destruction of a brigade headquarters.
In addition, Pakistans AEW&C platforms provided comprehensive airspace monitoring, facilitating timely interceptions and coordinated responses to Indian air operations and Pakistani forces effectively neutralized the challenge thrown by the enemy with the launching of hundreds of drones.
The admission of the BJP leader and independent reports by global media explain why India rushed for a ceasefire.
All this shows the latest threats and rhetoric by the Indian Prime Minister are nothing more than mere bragging.
