Were Chinese jets used by Pak to respond to Op Sindoor? What Beijing said

China on Thursday denied any involvement of its fighter jets in the ongoing Indo-Pakistan hostilities, amid reports suggesting that JF-17 Thunders were used by Pakistan to counter India’s precision air strikes during Operation Sindoor.

Responding to questions about whether the JF-17 — a fighter aircraft co-developed by China and Pakistan — had participated in Pakistan’s retaliation, the Chinese Foreign Ministry said it was “not familiar with the matter”, according to news agency Reuters.

The clarification came a day after India strongly objected to a report by Chinese state-run publication Global Times, which claimed that three Indian fighter jets had been shot down by Pakistan during the operation. India dismissed the claim as ‘baseless’ and accused the outlet of “spreading disinformation”.

“Dear @globaltimesnews, we would recommend you verify your facts and cross-examine your sources before pushing out this kind of disinformation. When media outlets share such information without verifying sources, it reflects a serious lapse in responsibility and journalistic ethics,” the Indian Embassy in Beijing posted on X.

Global Times had quoted unnamed Pakistani military sources to claim that Indian aircraft were downed during India’s coordinated military operation across the Line of Control. The Indian government has rejected the claims, asserting that the mission was successful and that no Indian assets were lost.

Operation Sindoor, launched at 1.05 am on Wednesday, involved a 25-minute series of precision strikes by Indian air, naval, and ground forces on nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (POK) to destroy targets linked to proscribed outfits including Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, and Hizbul Mujahideen.

The “measured and non-escalatory” counter-offensive by India was to avenge the killings of 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir’s Palgham on April 22. Experts believe that the depth and scale of Opertion Sindoor were greater than the 2019 Balakot operation.

In the aftermath, Beijing urged both India and Pakistan to “exercise maximum restraint” in the “larger interest of peace and stability” of the region and said it will play a “constructive role” in easing the tensions by working with the international community.

“China opposes all forms of terrorism. We urge both sides to act in the larger interest of peace and stability, remain calm, exercise restraint, and refrain from taking actions that may further complicate the situation,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokesman Lin Jian had said.

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