Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar declared on Wednesday that India’s pride in its Rafale fighter jets was decisively humbled during the night of May 6–7, when several of the aircraft were downed. Speaking in the National Assembly, Dar stated that according to social media discussions, French sources had suggested the issue was not with the Rafale jets themselves but rather with the Indian pilots operating them.
Addressing lawmakers during a session chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq, Dar warned that Pakistan would deliver a powerful response to any further aggression from India. He emphasized that it was Pakistan’s deliberate decision not to start a conflict, as agreed by the National Security Committee (NSC), which had decided the country would only retaliate if provoked.
Dar reiterated Pakistan’s willingness to resolve tensions through dialogue, provided India halted its hostile actions. He said the global community welcomed Pakistan’s call for an impartial and transparent probe into the Pahalgam incident and noted that Pakistan had briefed representatives of more than 40 countries regarding its position.
Blaming New Delhi for the escalation, Dar claimed India’s aggressive posture was fueled by malicious intent. He underscored that Pakistan had effectively presented its narrative on the international stage, and although India did not explicitly name Pakistan in high-level meetings, Islamabad had condemned the Pahalgam attack outright.
On the military front, Dar said Pakistani intelligence had advance knowledge of India’s movements. He revealed that India began its operation at 12:40 a.m., but Pakistan initially exercised restraint, only targeting aircraft that had dropped munitions.
He further reported that 26 Pakistani civilians were martyred and 46 injured in Indian strikes carried out at six different locations. “India launched 26 attacks across six separate sites,” Dar stated.
Regarding global support, Dar mentioned that Turkey’s foreign minister had called at 2:00 a.m. to express solidarity. He also pointed to ongoing discussions across social media platforms concerning the situation.
