Indian govt faces opposition backlash for concealing facts on May 7 losses
India’s opposition parties have launched a sharp tirade against Prime Minister Narendra Modi's government, accusing it of concealing information about the Indian military's losses during the May 7 air battle with Pakistan and compromising national security under foreign pressure.
Opposition leaders have referred to recent media reports quoting Defence Attaché Captain Shiv Kumar to state that his remarks confirm their long-standing concerns.
Rahul Gandhi was absolutely right to call Modi “Surrender Narender” and Jaishankar “JJ.”
Captain Shiv Kumar’s statement corroborates what the Leader of the Opposition, Rahul Gandhi, had raised long ago.
He had rightly questioned who authorized informing Pakistan, as it is… https://t.co/b0HNAbuVUzCongress leader Rahul Gandhi reiterated that PM Modi’s political decisions weakened India’s defence posture and accused him of accepting a ceasefire under pressure from former US President Donald Trump.
Read more: India again admits jet losses in Pakistan clash, citing political limits
“Captain Shiv Kumar’s statement corroborates what Rahul Gandhi has said all along. It is clear that aircraft were lost due to the political leadership’s directive not to engage Pakistani military assets,” said a Congress spokesperson.
The party also called Modi “Surrender Narender” and criticised External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar as “JJ”, accusing the government of prioritising optics over operational effectiveness.
As shocking as this revelation is, Rahul Gandhi ji was once again right.
There is a reason Trump keeps bringing up the ceasefire thing.
Modi’s diplomacy handicapped not only our defence but also our country https://t.co/EK8Zi1f5c6 pic.twitter.com/eUNGUuYDmcThe remarks in question were made by Captain Shiv Kumar at a seminar titled “Analysis of the Pakistan–India Air Battle and Indonesia’s Anticipatory Strategies from the Perspective of Air Power”, held at Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma in Jakarta.
According to Indian media, Kumar acknowledged that the Indian Air Force (IAF) "lost some aircraft" and attributed the losses to operational restrictions imposed by political leaders in New Delhi.
'IAF Lost Fighter Jets to Pak Because of Political Leadership’s Constraints’: Indian Defence Attachehttps://t.co/ADjPZWN35x
In response, the Indian Embassy in Indonesia issued a formal statement rejecting the media’s interpretation of Kumar’s comments.
“His remarks have been quoted out of context, and the reports are a misrepresentation of the intention and thrust of the presentation,” the statement said.
We have seen media reports regarding a presentation made by the Defence Attache at a Seminar.
His remarks have been quoted out of context and the media reports are a mis-representation of the intention and thrust of the presentation made by the speaker.
The presentation…The embassy clarified that Kumar’s presentation emphasised civilian control over the Indian armed forces and reiterated that Operation Sindoor was a limited, non-escalatory mission targeting terrorist infrastructure, not Pakistani military installations.
The conflicting narratives have further fuelled political tensions in India, with the opposition demanding transparency on the actual scale of losses and decisions made during the 86-hour conflict.
Pakistan-India Ceasefire
Tensions between Pakistan and India escalated on April 22, when an attack in Pahalgam killed 26 people.
India immediately blamed Pakistan for the incident. Pakistan categorically rejected Indian accusations.
India then undertook a series of hostile actions the next day on April 23, suspending the 65-year-old Indus Waters Treaty (IWT), cancelling visas for Pakistani citizens, closing the Wagah-Attari border crossing and ordering the shutdown of the Pakistan High Commission in New Delhi.
Both the countries subsequently reduced diplomatic staff at their respective embassies in the other's territory.
Tensions further escalated in the early hours of May 7, when Indian missile strikes hit six cities in Punjab and Azad Jammu and Kashmir (AJK), destroying a mosque and killing dozens of civilians, including women, children, and the elderly.
Read More: French intelligence official confirms downing of Rafale by Pakistan
In a swift military response, Pakistan’s armed forces shot down Indian warplanes, including three Rafale jets.
The confrontation intensified again in the early hours of May 10, when India targeted several Pakistani airbases with missile strikes.
In retaliation, Pakistan launched Operation Bunyanum Marsoos, damaging Indian military installations, including missile storage sites, airbases and other strategic targets.
On May 10, US President Donald Trump announced that a ceasefire had been reached following intense diplomatic efforts overnight.
Minutes later, the agreement was confirmed separately by Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Ishaq Dar and the Indian foreign secretary.