An S-400 air-defence unit of the Indian Air Force destroyed a Pakistani special-mission aircraft at a distance of 314 km during Operation Sindoor, marking one of the longest surface-to-air engagements claimed by India, according to the Defence Ministry’s Annual Report for 2025-26 released on Sunday (September 13, 2026).

The report described the engagement as a demonstration of the IAF’s long-range air-defence capability, saying it challenged the adversary’s belief that distance could provide protection from Indian air-defence systems.

“Indian radars tracked the threat in silence”, and a long-range surface-to-air missile was guided to its target at the far end of its engagement envelope, the report said. The operation, it added, demonstrated that targets at considerable distances were within the reach of the IAF’s air-defence architecture.

The report said Prime Minister Narendra Modi subsequently visited Air Force Station Adampur on May 12, 2025, and commended the air warriors involved in the operation. It also noted that 219 Presidential Gallantry Awards were awarded to IAF personnel on August 15, 2025, for their role during the operation.

The engagement was part of a broader integrated air-defence effort during the four-day conflict from May 7to 10, 2025. The IAF, which is responsible for the country’s air defence, exercised centralised control and coordination through its indigenous Integrated Air Command and Control System (IACCS).

According to the report, the IACCS acted as the foundational framework for integrated air-defence operations by integrating military and civil surveillance sensors and providing stakeholders with a common Recognised Air Situation Picture.

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Operations were centrally controlled through IAF Networked Tactical Nodes at multiple locations. These nodes played a key role in the identification and classification of aerial targets, with trained operators ensuring that civil aircraft were not engaged during the hostilities, the report said.

The report also alleged that Pakistan kept its civil airspace open during the conflict, including the operation of civil flights during hostile action. In contrast, it said, India’s conduct was aimed at ensuring that international air traffic was not put at risk.

The IAF also carried out strikes against Pakistani air-defence radars, command-and-control centres and military infrastructure at locations including Chaklala, Rahim Yar Khan, Sukkur, Murid, Sargodha, Jacobabad and Bholari, according to the report.

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The Defence Ministry said Pakistan had, between May 8 and 10, carried out escalatory actions targeting military assets as well as civilian infrastructure, places of worship, schools and medical facilities.

India’s response, the report said, remained “calibrated but punitive”, with the objective of “demonstrative compellence” using precise military action to compel the adversary to halt further escalation.

Following the precision strikes, Pakistan called for a cessation of hostilities, it said.

The Union government on Saturday (June 27, 2026) rejected the “misleading social media claims” that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had stated that no Indian soldier was killed during Operation Sindoor, asserting that his remarks in Parliament had been selectively quoted and stripped of their context.

On July 28, 2025, while speaking before the Lok Sabha, Rajnath Singh clearly stated that no Indian soldiers were harmed during Operation Sindoor.

While speaking for 55 minutes during the 16-hour-long discussion, he said, “If you want to raise a question, then ask whether any of our brave soldiers were harmed in this operation. The answer is, no, none of our soldiers were harmed.”

“When the objectives are high then our attention should not be on irrelevant issues. Because by focusing on irrelevant issues at times, our attention gets diverted from important issues related to national security and morale of soldiers,” Mr. Singh said.

On multiple occasions, Army Chief General Upendra Dwivedi and Mr. Singh have both affirmed that the Operation Sindoor is ongoing. The pause is viewed not as permanent peace, but as a temporary cessation of hostilities while India keeps its forces on high alert.

The Ministry of Defence (MoD) clarified in a statement that certain social media posts had misrepresented the Defence Minister’s address in Parliament, by isolating a portion of his speech to falsely suggest that he denied any Indian military casualties during the cross-border operation.

According to the clarification, Mr. Singh’s remarks were specifically intended to counter a widely circulated false narrative at the time claiming that Indian Air Force pilots had been killed during Operation Sindoor. The government said this misinformation was being actively amplified in sections of the media and on social media to undermine the operation’s success and weaken public morale.

“It was in direct reference to this specific and mischievous narrative that the Defence Minister made the statement in question,” the MoD said, adding that his remarks were a targeted response to false claims and not a denial of casualties suffered by the armed forces.

The statement emphasised that the Defence Minister’s address in Parliament highlighted the success of Operation Sindoor, during which Indian forces carried out precision strikes against terror infrastructure and military targets across the border. It said the operation resulted in the elimination of more than 100 terrorists and Pakistani soldiers, while inflicting significant damage on Pakistani air bases and military infrastructure along the Line of Control.

Reiterating the government’s commitment to honouring the armed forces, the statement said the nation holds the highest respect for personnel who laid down their lives in the line of duty. It noted that the names of those killed during Operation Sindoor have been inscribed on the National War Memorial in recognition of their supreme sacrifice.

The government also said it has extended educational, healthcare and other welfare benefits to the families and dependents of the fallen personnel, reaffirming that their sacrifice would always be honoured with dignity and gratitude.

A day after the government officially disclosed the names of the military personnel who lost their lives during Operation Sindoor, the Congress on Saturday alleged that Defence Minister Rajnath Singh had misled Parliament by claiming that no Indian soldier was killed during the operation.

Pakistan will “forever remain grateful” to U.S. President Donald Trump for his “timely” intervention in helping secure a ceasefire with India, Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has said.

Addressing a reception hosted by the U.S. Embassy in Islamabad on Thursday (June 4, 2026) to mark the 250th anniversary of American independence, Mr. Sharif described Pakistan-U.S. ties as a “true and special relationship” spanning nearly eight decades.

Referring to the four-day military conflict between India and Pakistan last year, triggered by the terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir’s Pahalgam that killed 26 people, the Prime Minister said Mr. Trump’s intervention played a key role in ending hostilities.

“Last year, following India’s unprovoked aggression after the Pahalgam incident, it was President Trump’s timely and most decisive intervention that resulted in a ceasefire between Pakistan and India on May 10, last year,” he claimed.

“We shall forever remain grateful to President Trump for restoring peace in South Asia and saving millions of people. In this context, he will always be remembered as a man of peace,” Mr. Sharif said.

Following the Pahalgam attack, India launched Operation Sindoor on May 7 last year, targeting terror infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir.

More praise for Trump

Mr. Trump has repeatedly claimed that he helped secure peace between India and Pakistan following the military conflict. India, however, has consistently maintained that the understanding was reached directly between the two countries and has rejected claims of third-party mediation.

Mr. Sharif also lauded Mr. Trump’s “unique” leadership style, saying the U.S. president had brought “energy and resolve” to Washington’s international engagement and pursuit of its interests.

Under his “bold and visionary leadership”, the U.S. “continues to inspire confidence and dynamism, while advancing peace, progress and prosperity”, the prime minister said.

Recalling the history of bilateral ties, Mr. Sharif noted that the U.S. was among the first countries to recognise Pakistan after its creation in 1947, and highlighted cooperation in security, trade, investment, agriculture, science, education, health and energy.

“Ours is a true and special relationship, spanning over nearly eight decades and encompassing cooperation not only in security and counter-terrorism, but equally so in trade, investment, agriculture, science, education, health, energy and people-to-people exchanges,” he said.

Role in Iran-U.S. talks

On regional diplomacy, Mr. Sharif claimed that Pakistan was playing a role in facilitating contacts between the U.S. and Iran and thanked Chief of Army Staff Field Marshal Asim Munir for his contribution to ongoing peace efforts.

“As I speak, these efforts continue with the support of Iran and the United States, and let us pray that we achieve long-lasting peace as early as possible,” he said.

In her remarks, U.S. Charge d’Affaires Natalie Baker described Pakistan and the U.S. as “true strategic partners” and said the relationship was based on mutual respect, aligned interests and a shared vision for security and prosperity.

She said Mr. Trump’s approach towards Pakistan had been “direct, personal and consequential”, focused on delivering results, managing crises and seizing opportunities.

Pakistan on Tuesday (April 21, 2026) extended the closure of its airspace for Indian planes till May 24 as the curbs will now remain in place for more than a year.

In the wake of the terror attack in Pahalgam, Kashmir, that killed 26 people on April 22 last year, India and Pakistan have closed their respective airspaces for each other’s planes. While Pakistan airspace has been closed for Indian aircraft since April 24, 2025, Pakistan planes are not permitted to use the Indian airspace since April 30 last year.

Pakistan’s Defence Minister Khawaja Asif warned on Thursday (April 2, 2026) that his country’s response to any attack would be “swift, calibrated, and decisive”.

Mr. Asif took to X to respond to remarks by his Indian counterpart Rajnath Singh, who earlier said that any “misadventure” from India’s neighbour in the prevailing situation would invite an “unprecedented and decisive” action.

Speaking at an event in poll-bound Kerala, Mr. Singh on Thursday (April 2) said that following the April 2025 Pahalgam terror attack that claimed 26 lives, India had destroyed the terrorist hideouts and infrastructure in Pakistan. He contended that during Operation Sindoor, Indian forces brought Pakistan to its knees within 22 minutes.

“Repeated rhetoric reflects not strength, but visible strategic anxiety as the anniversary of the Pahalgam” attack approaches, Mr. Asif said.

Mr. Asif further said: “Such threat-mongering is not new; it is part of a predictable pattern – externalising internal fragility, and attempting to provoke escalation under the garb of unsubstantiated allegations for vested political interests.”

Recalling the four-day conflict in May, the Pakistani Minister said that history was a stark reminder that miscalculation has consequences.

“The next time our response will be even more forceful and decisive. Let there be no ambiguity: Pakistan remains committed to peace and regional stability, but its resolve to defend sovereignty is absolute, its preparedness complete, and its response will be swift, calibrated, and decisive,” he said.

The Pahalgam attack that took place on April 22 last year resulted in a brief conflict between the two countries.

U.S. President Donald Trump has again claimed that he stopped the fighting between India and Pakistan and saved millions of lives, describing it as an “honour”.

Addressing an event in Florida on Friday (January 16, 2026), Mr. Trump claimed the U.S. had brokered multiple peace deals in less than a year and Pakistan Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif has credited him with saving at least 10 million lives by stopping the Indo-Pak conflict.

“In less than a year, we made eight peace deals and ended the war in Gaza. We have peace in the Middle East. Nobody thought that was going to be possible,” he said.

Mr. Trump also asserted that Washington helped defuse tensions between the two nuclear-armed neighbours, India and Pakistan.

“We stopped India and Pakistan from fighting, two nuclear nations… The Pakistani Prime Minister said ‘Donald Trump saved at least 10 million people’. And it was amazing, and it’s an honour,” he said.

Mr. Trump has repeatedly asserted that he played a role in halting tensions between India and Pakistan last year.

He has made the claim around 80 times since May 10 last year, when he announced on social media that the two countries had agreed to a “full and immediate” ceasefire after a “long night” of talks allegedly mediated by Washington.

India has consistently rejected any third-party intervention in its dealings with Pakistan.

Mr\. Trump has also said on several occasions that Sharif, who visited the White House last year, credited him with saving millions of lives by stopping the conflict between India and Pakistan.

U.S. President Donald Trump on Tuesday (November 18, 2025) repeated his claim that he stopped the war between India and Pakistan, as he addressed a bilateral meeting with the Saudi Crown Prince.

Mr. Trump repeated the claim during a bilateral meeting in the Oval Office in the White House with visiting Crown Prince of Saudi Arabia Mohammed bin Salman.

“I’ve stopped actually eight wars…. Have another one to go with, Putin. I’m a little surprised at Putin. It’s taken longer than I thought, but we stopped India and Pakistan. Wish I could go through the list. You know the list better than I do,” Mr. Trump said.

“I’m very proud. And I stopped one that was almost ready to start again. You know, there’s one that was ready to start, and they’re doing very well. So, it all took place right here in the Oval Office, whether by telephone or whether by they came in, many of these leaders have come in, and, you know, they signed their peace deals right here in the Oval Office,” Mr. Trump said as the Saudi Crown Prince and his delegation listened.

Since May 10, when Mr. Trump announced on social media that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” after a “long night” of talks mediated by Washington, he has repeated his claim several times that he “helped settle” the tensions between the two countries.

India has consistently denied any third-party intervention.

Pakistan has praised Mr. Trump on multiple occasions, claiming that he brokered a ceasefire during the May conflict.