Indian official blames ‘political constraints’ for jet losses in May clash with Pakistan

A senior Indian military official has blamed “political restrictions” for the country’s initial losses during a recent flare-up with Pakistan, saying Indian fighter jets were downed because they were not permitted to strike Pakistani military sites.

“I do agree we did lose some aircraft. That happened only because of the constraints given by the political leadership to not attack the military establishment or their air defense,” said Shiv Kumar, India’s military attaché to Indonesia, during a seminar held June 10 at Universitas Dirgantara Marsekal Suryadarma in Jakarta.

The remarks, made publicly for the first time by an Indian official, provide the most direct explanation yet from New Delhi for why India lost several jets in the early stages of the conflict, according to Bloomberg.

Hostilities erupted between the nuclear-armed neighbors on May 7 following an April 22 attack in Indian-administered Kashmir that killed 26 civilians. India labeled the incident an act of terrorism orchestrated by Pakistan. Islamabad has denied any involvement.

The cross-border conflict marked the worst military exchange between the two countries in 50 years. The fighting involved aerial dogfights, drone and missile attacks, and heavy artillery and small-arms fire across the Line of Control — the de facto border between the two sides.

Bloomberg, in its report, said that Kumar’s admission could spark political controversy at home, where Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s government is facing criticism from opposition parties over its handling of the crisis.

India’s Ministry of Defence and Ministry of External Affairs did not respond to emails seeking comment sent after office hours.

In a statement posted on X, formerly Twitter, the Indian embassy in Jakarta distanced itself from Kumar’s remarks, saying they had been “quoted out of context.”

"The military attaché was emphasizing that the Indian Armed Forces operate under the guidance of civilian political leadership,” the statement said.

Kumar also noted that India changed its approach after suffering early losses, claiming that Indian forces “destroyed” Pakistan’s air defense systems, which then enabled them to carry out more effective attacks on military installations across the border.

According to Kumar, India subsequently hit 11 Pakistani airbases, along with air defense infrastructure.

Last month, India’s Chief of Defense Staff, Gen. Anil Chauhan, acknowledged in an interview that the country had lost several aircraft, though he attributed the downing of the jets to tactical mistakes that were later corrected.

India and Pakistan have fought three full-scale wars since their independence from British rule in 1947, two of them over the disputed Kashmir region.