KATHMANDU, Sep 27: Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif claimed that Pakistani fighter jets shot down and rendered seven Indian jets during a military conflict with India earlier this year.
Praising his country's air force and pilots as ‘falcons’, Sharif said, “Those pilots flew and destroyed the Indian aircraft.”
Before this, Pakistan often claimed to have downed five Indian Air Force jets, but India has consistently rejected these claims as baseless. Sharif said, “In May this year, my country faced an unprovoked attack from the eastern front. Our response was in accordance with the right to self-defense. We humiliated them and sent them back.”
Indo-Pak foreign ministers to meet on sidelines of UNGA
Addressing the United Nation General Assembly on Friday, Sharif also accused India of trying to gain political advantage after the Pahalgam attack.
Sharif, who became the first Pakistani Prime Minister in six years to visit the White House, praised Donald Trump as a “man of peace” for his sincere efforts to end conflicts around the world. He also reiterated that the US President had played an active role in brokering a ceasefire between India and Pakistan following the military action in May.
In his 25-minute speech, Sharif emphasized nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize, reiterating that he is a “man of peace.” In his address, Shehbaz expressed gratitude to China, Turkey, Saudi Arabia, Qatar, Azerbaijan, Iran, the United Arab Emirates, and the UN Secretary-General for their diplomatic support to Pakistan during the confrontation with India.
Meanwhile, India criticized Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s address to the UN General Assembly, accusing him of distorting facts and glorifying terrorism.
Following Shehbaz Sharif’s speech, Petal Gahlot, First Secretary at India’s Permanent Mission to the United Nations, exercised the Right of Reply and issued a strong rebuttal at the UN General Assembly.
Petal Gahlot said, “This Assembly witnessed an unhinged spectacle from the Prime Minister of Pakistan this morning, who once again glorified terrorism — which remains at the core of Pakistan’s foreign policy.”
She further added, “No amount of theatrics and no level of falsehood can hide the facts.” On May 7, 2025 India launched Operation Sindoor, a military operation against Pakistan, in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed 26 innocent lives on Indian soil. India has been claiming that the attack was orchestrated from terrorist groups operating from Pakistan which the latter has been refuting.
