[Text/Observer Network, Xiong Chaoyan] In the "India-Pakistan Air Battle" last week, the Pakistani Air Force used China-made J-10C fighter jets to shoot down multiple Indian aircraft, including three French-made "Rafale". According to reports by Pakistani media such as "Dunya News" and "MM News" on May 12 local time, a retired Indian Army general made some outrageous remarks about this air battle.

According to video footage from the program, Retired Major General P.R. Shankar of the Indian Army stated during a webcast on May 11 that in this conflict, India was actually facing Pakistanis who were better at handling Chinese weapons than the Chinese themselves.

"The Chinese don't know how to handle all this (weapons)," Shankar continued to claim: "I mean, in combat, I have always believed that between Pakistan and China, I would rather fight China than Pakistan because the Pakistanis are good at fighting."

Screenshot of the video showing General Shankar in the middle.

After these remarks from Shankar, several Pakistani media outlets interpreted them as an open acknowledgment by this Indian retiree of the impressive capabilities of the Pakistani military, particularly in effectively using Chinese military equipment.

For instance, "Dunya News" reported that military observers around the world have noticed how Pakistan has turned the tide against India through clever tactics and teamwork. Media from the United States, Britain, and France also admitted the capabilities shown by Pakistan in its military battles with India.

On social media, one netizen shared a video of General Shankar's comments and sarcastically remarked: "Even senior Indian generals admit they can deal with China but not Pakistan. Pakistan is no amateur match."

However, Shankar later retweeted the netizen's post and angrily wrote: "Whether the Pakistanis are good at fighting or not, we've still kicked their asses. I'm talking to you, idiot... You're taking my words out of context! Typical Pakistani liar..." He then posted a link to the full video of the webcast, adding: "You will fully understand what we are discussing."

Shankar's response to the Pakistani netizen X platform screenshot.

The current tension between India and Pakistan escalated after a gunfight incident occurred in the Indian-controlled Kashmir region on April 22, leaving at least 26 dead and 46 injured, most of whom were tourists. India accused Pakistan of being involved, claiming that Pakistan had long "supported cross-border terrorism activities." In response, Pakistan denied the allegations multiple times.

In the early hours of May 7, the Indian Air Force launched Operation Vermilion, an airstrike targeting nine locations within Pakistan and the Pakistan-controlled Kashmir region. Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif confirmed that in retaliation, five Indian aircraft were shot down. This was the first attack India had launched against Pakistan since 2019 and was considered the most severe clash between the two sides in over two decades. Pakistan also confirmed that during the air battle, Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets were used to counter and shoot down Indian Air Force aircraft, including three French-made "Rafale" fighters.

On the evening of May 10, Pakistan's Deputy Prime Minister and Foreign Minister Dar announced that Pakistan and India had reached an immediate cease-fire agreement. Just hours after this announcement, explosions were heard in both Indian-controlled and Pakistani-controlled Kashmir regions that same evening. Both sides accused each other of violating the cease-fire agreement but also called for maintaining the results of the agreement.

As the cease-fire between India and Pakistan took effect, the tensions eased slightly. On May 12, Pakistani Foreign Minister Dar told CNN that Pakistan had never considered deploying nuclear weapons against India, believing that conventional military strength was sufficient to defeat its opponent.

Dar remained cautious about the current cease-fire status, saying that long-term negotiations "have yet to be concluded," and that they still hoped reason would prevail. He also warned that if negotiations failed to resolve water issues, the already fragile cease-fire would be threatened.

He told CNN that India's attack was a "war" aimed at establishing "hegemony" in the long-disputed Kashmir region, but he said the nuclear option had never been considered. "At some point, you must make very serious decisions, and we are very sure that our conventional (military) capabilities are strong enough to defeat them in the air and on the ground," Dar said.

On the other side, Indian Prime Minister Modi finally made his first public speech regarding the current India-Pakistan conflict on May 12.

Modi stated that his government would not hesitate to use force to eliminate "terrorist camps" in Pakistan. He believed that India's military action against Pakistan "opened a new path, a new standard, and a new normal in the fight against terrorism" in relations between India and neighboring Pakistan.

In his speech, Modi did not mention the United States and did not credit Trump for the cease-fire. Instead, he claimed that after India struck deep into Pakistan, Pakistan urged the international community to ease tensions. He also warned that India would not tolerate any nuclear blackmail, and New Delhi would respond to any further terrorist attacks against India.

This article is an exclusive contribution from Observer Network and cannot be reprinted without permission.

Original source: https://www.toutiao.com/article/7503824464187048460/

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