Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar stated on Wednesday that India’s much-vaunted Rafale jets were brought down and their arrogance shattered during the night of May 6–7.
He said, according to social media, the French had stated the issue lay not with the Rafale jets, but with the Indian pilots.
Expressing his thoughts on the National Assembly session, Deputy Prime Minister Ishaq Dar warned on Wednesday that Pakistan would respond forcefully if India took further aggressive action. “It was our decision not to initiate war. The National Security Committee (NSC) had resolved that Pakistan would only respond in case of an Indian attack,” Dar stated during a National Assembly session chaired by Speaker Ayaz Sadiq.
Dar said Pakistan had made it clear to India that if it halted hostilities, dialogue could be considered. He said that the international community had appreciated Pakistan’s offer of an impartial and transparent investigation into the Pahalgam attack. “We have briefed over 40 countries on Pakistan’s position,” he added.
He accused India of malicious intent behind the current escalation. “Pakistan has presented its stance effectively at the diplomatic level. It is India’s malicious intent that has led to the current situation,” he said.
Dar stated that Pakistan condemned the Pahalgam attack, despite not being named directly in India's high-level meeting. “Allegations were made without directly naming Pakistan. Nonetheless, we strongly condemned the attack,” he clarified.
Referring to military developments, Dar said Pakistan’s intelligence had prior information about India's movements. “India initiated action at 12:40 am. Even then, Pakistan showed restraint. Instructions were given to only target aircraft that released payloads.”
He reported that 26 people were martyred and 46 injured in Indian strikes across six locations. “India carried out 26 attacks in six different spots,” he claimed.
Commenting on international reactions, Dar mentioned that the Turkish foreign minister had called at 2:00 am in support. He also referred to social media discussions,
.jpg&w=640&q=75 "Holiday announced on July 22")
.jpg&w=256&q=75 "Holiday announced on July 22")
