Indians poke fun at Modi sarkar after US debunks F-16 downing claim
Social media users have a field day after US officials announced none of Pakistan’s fighter jets were missing
According to reports, US personnel had done a count of Pakistan’s F-16s and found none missing. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
Jingoistic frenzy appears to be fading as Indians start realising that Modi sarkar had fed them on concocted tales in the recent military confrontation with Pakistan.
The feeble voices that questioned the Indian government accounts of Feb 26 and 27 events suddenly rose to a crescendo on Friday when US defence officials confirmed none of the F-16 jets in the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) fleet is missing.
New Delhi claimed that its air force had decimated the “largest terrorist training camp” in an air strike in the Balakot area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and then shot down a Pakistani F-16 in a dogfight over Kashmir the next day.
It couldn’t offer even a shred of evidence to substantiate its claim of inflicting mass casualties or damages in Balakot, while its claim of shooting down F-16 also turned out to be figment of its imagination.
US debunks Indian claims of shooting down PAF F-16
International journalists and experts have already exposed the Indian claims vis-à-vis Balakot strikes, while US defence officials caused the Indians further embarrassment by confirming that all F-16 in the PAF fleet are accounted for.
Indian politicians, journalists, and activists came down hard on the Modi Sarkar for its farcical claims which made India a laughing stock internationally.
Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding Editor of The Wire news website, called it a “big blow to post Balakot account” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Public interest lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan wrote that all claims of Modi, including Balakot air strike, have proven false and still he was thumping his 56 inch chest.
Filmmaker Rakesh Sharma called the entire episode starting with the Balakot misadventure to the aerial battle with Pakistan “a hasty op sans enough prep? For 56" to get 'action' before elections?!”
Economist Rupa Subramanya wrote that another claim by Prime Minister Modi has been busted by the Foreign Policy magazine.
Writer and photographer Sanjukta Basu said that India has become a laughing stock during the rule of Premier Modi.
Col (retd) Ajai Shukla, who is now Business Standard columnist on strategic affairs, defence and diplomacy, wrote that after the F-16 downing claim was busted, the ruling BJP was trying to take the spotlight away.
However, some Indians prefer to remain in fool’s paradise and refuse to admit that they have been fooled by their government. Gaurav Arya, a retired Indian army major, said it was difficult for the United States to admit that an obsolete MiG 21 had shot down a much superior flying machine.
But Christopher Clary, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University at Albany, had an informed answer for them.
While Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director at Asia Program and South Asia Senior Associate at The Wilson Center agreed with Clary.
The feeble voices that questioned the Indian government accounts of Feb 26 and 27 events suddenly rose to a crescendo on Friday when US defence officials confirmed none of the F-16 jets in the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) fleet is missing.
New Delhi claimed that its air force had decimated the “largest terrorist training camp” in an air strike in the Balakot area of Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa and then shot down a Pakistani F-16 in a dogfight over Kashmir the next day.
It couldn’t offer even a shred of evidence to substantiate its claim of inflicting mass casualties or damages in Balakot, while its claim of shooting down F-16 also turned out to be figment of its imagination.
US debunks Indian claims of shooting down PAF F-16
International journalists and experts have already exposed the Indian claims vis-à-vis Balakot strikes, while US defence officials caused the Indians further embarrassment by confirming that all F-16 in the PAF fleet are accounted for.
Indian politicians, journalists, and activists came down hard on the Modi Sarkar for its farcical claims which made India a laughing stock internationally.
Siddharth Varadarajan, the founding Editor of The Wire news website, called it a “big blow to post Balakot account” of Prime Minister Narendra Modi.
Public interest lawyer and activist Prashant Bhushan wrote that all claims of Modi, including Balakot air strike, have proven false and still he was thumping his 56 inch chest.
Filmmaker Rakesh Sharma called the entire episode starting with the Balakot misadventure to the aerial battle with Pakistan “a hasty op sans enough prep? For 56" to get 'action' before elections?!”
Economist Rupa Subramanya wrote that another claim by Prime Minister Modi has been busted by the Foreign Policy magazine.
Writer and photographer Sanjukta Basu said that India has become a laughing stock during the rule of Premier Modi.
Col (retd) Ajai Shukla, who is now Business Standard columnist on strategic affairs, defence and diplomacy, wrote that after the F-16 downing claim was busted, the ruling BJP was trying to take the spotlight away.
However, some Indians prefer to remain in fool’s paradise and refuse to admit that they have been fooled by their government. Gaurav Arya, a retired Indian army major, said it was difficult for the United States to admit that an obsolete MiG 21 had shot down a much superior flying machine.
But Christopher Clary, Assistant Professor of Political Science, University at Albany, had an informed answer for them.
While Michael Kugelman, Deputy Director at Asia Program and South Asia Senior Associate at The Wilson Center agreed with Clary.