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In the aftermath of the Indian Army’s ‘Operation Sindoor’, Pakistan has offered conflicting statements regarding the development, only raising questions about the credibility of Islamabad’s official narrative.
Within a span of just two days, Pakistan’s military and defense officials made three separate and contradictory statements about the drone strikes launched by India on May 8 and 9, with the apparent discrepancies in their officials’ versions further fuelling skepticism about the legitimacy of Pakistan’s claims even as Islamabad continues to deny accountability for its role in the recent Pahalgam terror attack that claimed the lives of 26 individuals, mostly tourists.
Statement 1 – May 8: “We shot down all drones launched by India.”
On May 8, Pakistan’s Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR), Lt. Gen. Ahmed Sharif, made an unequivocal claim that the Pakistani military had successfully intercepted and destroyed every drone launched by India. Speaking to the press, Lt. Gen. Sharif reportedly said, “We shot down all drones launched by India.”
Statement 2 – May 8: “These drones came at an altitude of 35,000 feet…”
However, just hours later on the same day, Defence Minister Khawaja Asif issued a contrasting statement that seemed to acknowledge the drones’ advanced technology. Speaking about the type of drones in question, Asif reportedly said, “These drones came at an altitude of 35,000 feet. They definitely had some advanced technology—maybe something like stealth,” in remarks suggesting that the drones were not only high-tech but may have been equipped with advanced capabilities, potentially making them more challenging to intercept. The remarks only raise questions as to how Pakistan could claim to have shot down all the drones if they were indeed so sophisticated.
Yesterday Pakistan Defence Minster said India used stealth technology Drones to enter deep inside Pakistan. pic.twitter.com/VhtasCAyKE
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) May 9, 2025
Statement 3 – May 9: “We didn’t intercept Indian drones because we didn’t want to leak our locations.”
On May 9, in yet another shift in the official narrative, Khawaja Asif provided yet another explanation for what they say was Islamabad’s inaction. This time, he suggested that Pakistan had intentionally refrained from intercepting the drones to avoid revealing the locations of its air defense systems. Asif stated, “We didn’t intercept Indian drones because we didn’t want to leak our locations,” in a claim that only raised doubts over why Pakistan would allow the drones to proceed unchallenged if they posed such a significant threat.
“We didn’t intercept Indian Drones because we didn’t want to leak our locations”
~ Pak Defence Minister 🤡India destroyed Pakistani defence system in Lahore and they didn’t do anything to hide their location 😂 pic.twitter.com/JIUDkYT05C
— Ankur Singh (@iAnkurSingh) May 9, 2025
The contradictory statements have prompted both internal and external scrutiny of Pakistan’s defense posture and its handling of the situation, with the shifting narrative seemingly being yet another attempt by the Pakistani administration to once again evade actual accountability for its role in sponsoring cross-border terrorism while also potentially shielding sensitive military operations.
