Indian military officer: The loss of aircraft was due to restrictions from the political leadership, which instructed not to attack Pakistani military facilities or air defense systems

According to Bloomberg, an Indian military official stated that the political leadership of India did not allow strikes on Pakistan's military bases when the hostile actions between the two countries began in May, which led to Pakistan shooting down Indian fighter planes.

On June 10, Kumar, the Indian military attaché in Indonesia, said at a conference on the India-Pakistan conflict held at a university in Jakarta: "I agree that we did lose some aircraft. It's only because of the restrictions from the political leadership, which instructed us not to attack (Pakistani) military facilities or their air defense systems."

On May 7, the nuclear-armed neighboring countries of India and Pakistan experienced the most severe conflict in half a century, with both sides conducting air raids, drone and missile attacks, artillery fire, and small arms fire along the common border. Previously, on April 22, an attack occurred in Indian-administered Kashmir, killing 26 civilians, which India claimed was a terrorist act orchestrated by Pakistan. Islamabad denied involvement.

Kumar's comments represent the most direct explanation so far from an Indian official regarding why India lost fighter jets during the conflict with Pakistan. A military official asserted that the political directives at the start of the conflict may have been the reason for the downing of the aircraft, which could embolden the Indian opposition, who are currently scrutinizing the government led by Prime Minister Modi over this India-Pakistan conflict.

The Indian Ministry of Defense and the Ministry of Foreign Affairs have not yet responded to Bloomberg's request for comment. On Sunday (29th), the Indian embassy in Indonesia posted on the social media platform X that Kumar's remarks at the conference were "taken out of context," and that what he intended to convey was "unlike some other countries in our neighborhood, the Indian armed forces serve under civilian political leadership."

India's Chief of Defense Staff, Jauhar, confirmed last month that at least one aircraft was lost by the Indian military during the brief conflict with the Pakistani army. When asked if at least one Indian aircraft had been shot down, Jauhar replied, "Yes, why (was it shot down)? So, the good thing is, we were able to understand the tactical mistakes we made, correct them, fix them, and then implement them again two days later, and again have all the aircraft conduct long-range targeting, as I said."

Kumar stated that after the initial losses, India changed its policy and "destroyed" Pakistan's air defense facilities, which allowed the Indian military to subsequently strike multiple military facilities, including key airbases. India claims that during the destruction of air defense facilities, they also hit 11 Pakistani airbases.

Kumar said that after India's strikes crippled several key Pakistani military facilities, Islamabad surrendered, leading New Delhi to conclude: "Pakistan would never use nuclear weapons against India."

Original: https://www.toutiao.com/article/1836370246081536/

Statement: This article represents the views of the author himself.