While New Delhi continues to make bold claims regarding the Pakistan-India war months after the May conflict, a politician from the neighbouring country has declared that his side completely lost the battle during the May conflict.

“Accept it or not, we were fully defeated in the half-hour aerial engagement that took place on May 7. On the first day (of Operation Sindoor), we were completely defeated,” Indian News Agency (ANI) quoted former Maharashtra chief minister and senior Congress leader Prithviraj Chavan as saying in a recent statement.

The ex-CM further said that the Indian Air Force was completely grounded during the battle and not a single aircraft of their flew due to the fear of being shot down as a result of Pakistan’s robust aerial combat tactics.

“If any aircraft had taken off from Gwalior, Bathinda, or Sirsa, there was a high probability of being shot down by Pakistan, which is why the air force was fully grounded,” Chavan said.

Pakistan, under the leadership of Chief of Defence Forces (CDF) and Chief of Army Staff (COAS) Field Marshal Asim Munir, had given a befitting response to India in May.

In a major defensive success against the rival country, Pakistan Air Force (PAF) shot down seven Indian aircraft, including Rafales, and destroyed an S-400 defence system.

The four-day war between the two nuclear-armed nations was triggered by India’s unlawful missile strikes inside Pakistan, which resulted in the martyrdom of several civilians and security personnel.

Pakistan, in addition to downing multiple Indian fighter jets, then launched a retaliatory strike, targeting over 20 Indian military sites across multiple regions.

The hostilities ended on May 10 after the two countries agreed to a US-brokered ceasefire agreement.

Months after the conflict, a report submitted to the United States Congress acknowledged Pakistan’s military success over India.

The report, submitted by the US-China Economic and Security Review Commission, noted that Pakistan deployed advanced Chinese weaponry during the conflict to enhance its military edge over India.

The report mentioned the successful use of China’s modern weapons systems in active combat for the first time, including the HQ-9 air-defence system, PL-15 air-to-air missiles, and J-10C fighter aircraft.

CDF Munir, earlier this month, warned India of a more “severe response” if it resorts to any aggression against Pakistan in the future.

“India should not be in any delusion [as] Pakistan’s response [in case of any aggression] will be even more swift and intense,” he said.

• Facts debunk coordinated Indian misinformation campaign.
• Sajid Akram moved to Australia from India in 1998: reports.
• Naveed Akram confirmed as Australian citizen by birth.
  

The Bondi Beach shooting has exposed false claims circulated by sections of Indian media and social media accounts that sought to link the attackers to Pakistan, allegations that later collapsed as verified facts emerged from international media outlets.

Soon after the incident, several Indian media outlets and social media users began blaming Pakistan without verification, launching a coordinated campaign that ran contrary to confirmed information.

Indian newspaper The Hindu reported on Tuesday that the alleged gunman shot dead by police during Sunday’s attack was Sajid Akram, 50, originally from Hyderabad in India’s southern state of Telangana. According to the report, Akram moved to Australia in 1998.

Australian media identified the second suspect as Akram’s 24-year-old son, Naveed Akram, who was shot by police during the incident and later emerged from a coma. Reports confirmed that Naveed is an Australian citizen by birth.

Soon after the incident occurred, Indian television anchor Arnab Goswami and several social media users claimed immediately after the attack that the suspects were linked to Pakistan. 

Posts on X alleged, without evidence, that Naveed Akram was of Pakistani origin and had studied in Islamabad.

One post claimed: “This is the terrorist camp in Kotli… where Bondi Beach attackers were trained,” while another alleged the suspects had travelled to Pakistan multiple times. 

Meanwhile, Police in Australia said on Wednesday they had charged a man who allegedly opened fire on a Jewish event on Sydney’s Bondi Beach with 59 offences, including a terror charge.

US President Donald Trump on Tuesday announced the expansion of the country’s travel ban, adding seven more nations, including Syria, to the list of countries whose citizens are prohibited from entering the United States.

According to a White House statement, Trump signed a proclamation “expanding and strengthening entry restrictions on nationals from countries with demonstrated, persistent, and severe deficiencies in screening, vetting, and information-sharing” to protect national security and public safety.

The expanded ban affects citizens of Burkina Faso, Mali, Niger, South Sudan, Syria, and holders of Palestinian Authority-issued travel documents. It also imposes a full ban on Laos and Sierra Leone, which had previously faced only partial restrictions. The ban is set to take effect on January 1.

The announcement comes despite Trump’s earlier promise to support Syria’s reconstruction following landmark talks in November with Syrian President Ahmed Al Sharaa, a former Al Qaeda commander who until recently was sanctioned by the US as a foreign terrorist.

Al Sharaa has sought to portray himself as a moderate leader working to unify Syria and end its international isolation.

Trump also reacted strongly to a recent attack in Syria, in which two US Army soldiers and a civilian interpreter were killed by a suspected Daesh attacker targeting a US-Syrian convoy.

Trump described the incident as a “terrible” attack and vowed “very serious retaliation” in a post on his Truth Social platform.

The White House justified the ban by citing high visa overstay rates for Syria and the country’s ongoing challenges in issuing passports and civil documents, as well as inadequate screening and vetting measures.

“Syria is emerging from prolonged civil unrest and internal strife,” the statement read. “While the country is working with the US to address security challenges, it still lacks an adequate central authority for issuing passports or civil documents.”

US adds more nations to partial restrictions list

Trump signed a proclamation in June banning the citizens of 12 countries from entering the United States and restricting those from seven others, saying it was needed to protect against “foreign terrorists” and other security threats.

The bans apply to both immigrants and non-immigrants, such as tourists, students and business travellers.

The travel ban remains on those twelve countries, the White House said.

Trump also added partial restrictions and entry limitations on an additional 15 countries, including Nigeria, which is under scrutiny from Trump, who, in early November, threatened military action over the treatment of Christians in the country.

Nigeria says claims that Christians face persecution misrepresent a complex security situation and do not take into account efforts to safeguard religious freedom.

Since returning to the office in January, Trump has aggressively prioritised immigration enforcement, sending federal agents to major US cities and turning away asylum seekers at the US-Mexico border.

The expansion of the countries subject to entry restrictions marks a further escalation of immigration measures the administration has taken since the shooting of two National Guard members in Washington, DC, last month.

Investigators say the shooting was carried out by an Afghan national who entered the US in 2021 through a resettlement program under which Trump administration officials have argued there was insufficient vetting.

Days after the shooting, Trump vowed to “permanently pause” migration from all “Third World Countries,” although he did not identify any by name or define the term.