Deputy Chief of Air Staff Air Projects Air Vice Marshal Tariq Ghazi on Wednesday said that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) achieved an “8-0” result against the Indian Air Force (IAF) during Marka-e-Haq, saying at least eight Indian aircraft were shot down during the clashes in May last year.
Ghazi provided a detailed overview of Operation Marka-e-Haq on its first anniversary at a press conference alongside Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry and Rear Admiral Shifaat Ali Khan.
On May 6 and 7 last year, India launched an unprovoked attack on Pakistan on May 6, following an attack on tourists in the illegally occupied Indian town of Pahalgam in Jammu and Kashmir.
Pakistan, during the 87 hours of conflict, shot down eight Indian fighter jets, including the French-made Rafale, and dozens of drones.
The war between the two nuclear-armed countries ended on May 10 with a ceasefire agreement brokered by the United States.
Ghazi said today’s briefing was aimed at refreshing memory regarding the operation, while mocking the “adversary” for changing their narrative because “they are trying to understand what happened.”
He said PAF chief Zaheer Ahmad Sidhu led the formulation of the operational response and then personally led the execution of the PAF strategy during the face-off.
Speaking about the operation, Ghazi said the Pakistan Air Force immediately maintained a “defensive and robust posture” alongside the highest level of alert with full-spectrum surveillance, including monitoring of enemy communications.
“We have adopted a strong air defense posture to thwart any hostile adventure through combat air patrols, scrambles and eyes to the sky at all times,” he said at the press conference.
Ghazi said the PAF integrated and operationalized its multi-domain assets during the operation, describing it as the first such implementation in a war by this force.
He said the PAF had observed aggressive deployments by the IAF, including positioning of key assets and offensive weapon systems across the country, alongside covert deployments.
Ghazi said the PAF was constantly monitoring “every move” made by the IAF throughout the face-off.
Providing details of the “8-0” result, Ghazi said Pakistan shot down eight Indian fighter jets – four Rafale jets, one Su-30 jet, one MiG-29 jet, one Mirage 2000 jet and an “expensive” multi-role unmanned aerial system.
He further added that several other Indian aircraft suffered damage during the encounter to such an extent that they could not be repaired later.
