First five, then six, now seven jets: Shehbaz Sharif keeps inventing victories India never lost

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif speaks during the General Debate of the United Nations General Assembly at UN headquarters in New York City on September 26, 2025. (Photo by TIMOTHY A. CLARY / AFP)

Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif made a mockery of facts in his recent speech at the UN General Assembly, inflating the number of Indian jets allegedly downed by his air force in the May skirmish. What began as a claim of five jets has now grown to seven, each new figure more absurd than the last.

His claims expose a desperate leader more interested in optics than facts, attempting to mask Pakistan’s military failures and embolden a population with empty boasts. But social media is merciless; it ridiculed Sharif for turning verified military losses into an escalating, imaginary scoreboard.

Addressing the UN General Assembly last week, Sharif made a baseless claim of downing seven Indian jets. “Our falcons took flight and turned 7 Indian jets into scrap,” he said.

On May 15, 2025, he told PAF personnel, “Based on the presentation I can tell the nation today without fear of contradiction that not five but these falcons, you, shot down six enemy jets.”

Earlier, he claimed five Indian jets were destroyed, then added a sixth in subsequent statements, and now the count has magically climbed to seven.

There is no evidence to support any of these assertions. Satellite imagery, however, paints a starkly different picture: India inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani airbases, destroying hangars and runways, confirming the failure of Pakistan’s retaliatory efforts.

India’s response has been pointed. Officials dismissed Sharif’s UNGA statement as “absurd theatrics” and highlighted that Pakistan has yet to provide any proof of downed Indian aircraft. Meanwhile, satellite imagery and independent monitoring confirm that six Pakistani airfields were damaged, demonstrating India’s tactical superiority during the conflict. The destruction at Pakistani airbases underscores the gap between Sharif’s claims and reality.

Sharif’s performance also underscores a wider trend: Pakistan’s leadership often resorts to inflated claims to mask operational failures. The repeated, baseless increase in the number of supposedly downed Indian jets reflects a pattern of misinformation intended to reassure a domestic audience, even as it invites global skepticism.

India’s clear evidence of damage inflicted on Pakistani airbases serves as a counterpoint to Sharif’s claims, highlighting the stark contrast between reality and rhetoric. The repeated, escalating falsehoods underline Pakistan’s growing isolation and its inability to substantiate even the simplest of claims regarding its military engagements with India.