Pakistan admits jet damaged in clash with India, says reports of captured Indian pilot fake news

The statement came during a joint press conference held by senior officials of Pakistan’s army, air force, and navy.

The Pakistani Army admitted that one of its fighter jets suffered “minor damage" during Operation Sindoor. However, no details were provided about the aircraft.

This admission came after Air Marshal AK Bharti said on Sunday that the Indian armed forces successfully downed a few Pakistan planes. He also maintained that all Indian pilots were back home.

"Their planes were prevented from entering inside our border... Definitely, we have downed a few planes... Definitely, there are losses on their side which we have inflicted," Air Marshal AK Bharti said during a special briefing on Operation Sindoor, India’s retaliatory strike on terror camps in Pakistan following the Pahalgam terrorist attacks.

Pakistan’s admission came during a joint press conference held by senior officials of Pakistan’s army, air force, and navy.

Addressing the media, Pakistan Army spokesperson Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry provided an official overview of Operation Bunyan-um-Marsoos, launched in response to Indian strikes earlier in the week.

According to Chaudhry “only one aircraft" of Pakistan suffered “minor damage”.

Chaudhry also rubbished reports that stated that an Indian pilot had been captured. He labelled such claims as “fake social media reports”. According to him, the military’s response has been “precise, proportionate and still remarkably restrained”.

A viral claim on social media saying that an Indian Air Force female pilot has been captured by Pakistan is false, the Indian government has also confirmed. The Press Information Bureau’s (PIB) Fact Check unit on Saturday said the reports are fake and urged the public not to fall for misinformation. Taking to X, the PIB stated: “Indian Female Air Force pilot has NOT been captured. Pro-Pakistan social media handles claim that an Indian Female Air Force pilot, Squadron Leader Shivani Singh, has been captured in Pakistan.”

The social media posts claimed that Singh, a female officer in the Indian Air Force, was taken into custody by Pakistani authorities. These posts were shared widely by several pro-Pakistan handles and pages.

Reports indicated that India had downed a Pakistani F-16, potentially two JF-17 fighter jets, and intercepted various projectiles and missiles.

Pakistan’s Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft was also reportedly brought down by Indian forces.

India and Pakistan reached an understanding to stop all firings and military actions on land, air and sea with immediate effect after days of intense cross-border drone and missile strikes that brought the two countries teetering on the edge of full-scale war.