India destroyed Pakistan’s Shaheen missiles, 8 fighter jets, including F-16, yet army chief Asim Munir was promoted to Field Marshal because…
India Pakistan Tensions: The Pakistan armed forces, especially the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) suffered heavy losses during Operation Sindoor conducted by the Indian armed forces, a fact now established by third-party sources with satellite imagery as proof. According to a media report, the PAF lost two of its Shaheen missiles, and eight fighter jets, including an F-16, in Indian strikes.
Yet, despite the substantial losses, Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir has been promoted to the rank of Field Marshal. According to geopolitical experts, the move is aimed to salvage the Pakistan Army’s reputation after the drubbing it received from India.
Why Asim Munir was promoted to Field Marshal?
According to military experts, the recent conflict with India was a shot in the arm for Asim Munir’s professional life as the army’s popularity had waned significantly due to its brutal suppression of jailed former PM Imran Khan’s party leaders and supporters. Its also believed that Asim Munir fears he may face a court martial for his deeds, including the crushing defeat to India, if there’s a change of civilian government.
Thus, Munir has raised his rank to that of a Field Marshall, to ensure he is immune to any such court proceedings against him in the future.
Notably, India considers Field Marshal Asim Munir as the one responsible for the heinous April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, with April 16 communal speech being viewed as a catalyst that allegedly prompted terrorist elements to carry out the barbaric attack. In his speech, Asim Munir had drawn distinctions between Hindus and Muslims, claiming that both communities have different life goals, ambitions, culture etc.
Experts believe that after Operation Sindoor, Munir now knows that India will not tolerate any act of terrorism of its soil, and will swiftly retaliate with a disproportionate yet precise response. So, in a bid to strengthen his hold on the Pakistan Army, Asim Munir has essentially given himself a promotion to insulate himself from the consequences of another defeat.
What losses did PAF suffer during Operation Sindoor?
Here’s a brief account of losses suffered by the PAF in Indian strikes during Op Sindoor:
As per a report by think tank Chakra Dialogues Foundation (CDF), the Pakistani Air Force (PAF) suffered losses worth Rs 4,500 crore during the recent India-Pakistan conflict, including losing four F-16 Block 52 fighter jets, which amounts to around $350 million. The report also claimed that Pakistan also lost a SAAB Erieye AWACS aircraft worth around $35 million.
Additionally, Indian strikes destroyed two Shaheen missiles worth $8 million, while an IL-78 refueling tanker ($35 million), was also lost, the report claimed. The CDF report further claimed that Indian strikes also neutralized Turkish Bayraktar TB2 UCAV drones, each unit costing around $6 million.
According to the report, Indian surface-to-air missile defence system allegedly shot down two Pakistani F-16 fighter jets, and India delivered precision strikes on the Sargodha airbase, with the damage caused being pegged at around $100 million,
The report claimed that Indian attacks inflicted damage worth Rs 29000 crore (around $3.4 billion) on Pakistani military infrastructure during Operation Sindoor.
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