- Najam Sethi contradicted Islamabad's claim of Indian missile strikes during Operation Sindoor
- India targeted Pakistani air bases and freedom fighter offices with precision strikes in May
- Pakistan lacks advanced missile defence systems like S-400 or Iron Dome against Indian attacks
Pakistan political commentator Najam Sethi has ripped into Islamabad's claim of Indian missiles hitting targets during military confrontation under Operation Sindoor. The former caretaker chief minister of Pakistan's Punjab Province said that India was able to target Pakistani air bases and "offices of freedom fighters" in precision strikes during the conflict in May.
Pakistan has suffered heavy losses during the military offensive from May 9-10, with Indian forces destroying key terrorist strongholds and several air bases.
"India has demonstrated this time that with the missile technology and missile accuracy, they were able to target both your bases and offices of so-called freedom fighters. They have demonstrated that (precision strikes) weather via air or ground attack," Sethi said during an interview with Pakistan's Samaa TV.
"The biggest threat is that if they (India) launch a missile strike against your air bases, where your planes are parked, a lot of damage can happen," he added.
Sethi, who is known to be a close aide of former Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, noted that an Iron Dome-like defence system could have helped the nation protect itself against an Indian attack
"We saw what our drawbacks were. Currently, we don't have any defence system like S-400 or Iron Dome, through which we can protect ourselves against Indian Missile attacks," Sethi said.
A Russian-made S-400 Triumf surface-to-air missile system is a high-altitude air defence (HIMAD) system, while Iron Dome is an Israeli mobile all-weather air defence system, developed by Rafael Advanced Defence Systems and Israel Aerospace Industries. India has the S-400 Triumf air defence system.
Sethi's statement came days after Islamabad's propaganda campaign claiming Pakistan suffered no losses in the war in May. During a recent event, Pakistan's interior minister, Mohsin Naqvi, contradicted the publicly available proof and claimed none of the Indian missiles landed on targets at any major military base in Pakistan.
Moreover, Pakistan Army chief General Asim Munir, speaking at an event in Belgium, reportedly claimed that India was "forced to beg for a ceasefire" during the recent India-Pakistan conflict and that US President Donald Trump had to intervene to mediate.
New Delhi has maintained that the ceasefire between India and Pakistan was reached through Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) level talks, with no mediation by the United States.
