New Delhi, May 11: Air Marshal AK Bharti on Saturday confirmed that the Indian Air Force (IAF) had downed multiple Pakistani aircraft during Operation Sindoor, the retaliatory strike carried out by India in response to the April 22 terror attack in Pahalgam, Jammu and Kashmir. He also hinted that “hi-tech” jets were among those downed by the Indian Air Force.

Addressing a joint media briefing alongside senior officials of the Indian Army and Navy, Air Marshal Bharti said, "As I said, their planes were prevented from coming inside our border. So, we don't have wreckage with us, but definitely, we have downed a few Pakistani planes; numbers, we would not like to hazard a guess out here, I have the numbers and we are getting into technical details to establish it. So, I would not like to put a figure at this time."

The press conference, held at 6:30 PM, was also attended by Lt General Rajiv Ghai, Vice Admiral AN Pramod, and Major General SS Sharda, who outlined the scope and impact of Operation Sindoor. The operation, launched on May 7, targeted nine major terror hubs across Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Jammu and Kashmir (PoJK), resulting in the deaths of over 100 terrorists, including high-value targets involved in the IC814 hijacking and Pulwama attack.

Lt Gen Rajiv Ghai also disclosed that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan came into effect on May 10 following a proposal from Pakistan’s Director General of Military Operations. “I received a message on the hotline seeking my willingness to communicate. It was decided that I would speak with my counterpart,” he said. The conversation took place at 3:35 PM, and hostilities ceased from 5:00 PM the same day.

Air Marshal Bharti highlighted the IAF’s use of precision air-to-surface missiles during the strikes and emphasized the coordinated efforts of all three services, with the Navy providing advanced munitions and support.