ISLAMABAD: In an exclusive interview with Bloomberg, Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (DG ISPR) Major General Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry clarified Pakistan’s military development approach. He reiterated the country’s commitment to modernising its armed forces through both domestic innovation and international partnerships.
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“Our military development strategy has always been to incorporate effective and efficient platforms and domestic Pakistani technology,” said the DG ISPR. He added that Pakistan remains open to acquiring a range of defense technologies, whether self-produced or sourced from both Eastern and Western countries.
Asserting transparency in Pakistan’s defense posture, DG ISPR said that Pakistan is not engaged in an arms race with India. “Pakistan has never tried to play with or hide data and facts,” he added.
The interview gained international attention following comments related to the Marka-e-Haq – a recent and contentious aerial conflict between Pakistan and India. DG ISPR confirmed that India was unable to shoot down any Pakistani aircraft during the engagement, countering Indian media narratives.
Notably, Bloomberg reported that US President Donald Trump, in a statement issued a week ago, confirmed that seven Indian aircraft were shot down during the conflict. The report further cited that Pakistan’s Chinese-made J-10C fighter jets were responsible for shooting down several Indian aircraft, including at least one Rafale fighter jet, a key part of India’s air superiority fleet.
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DG ISPR also acknowledged the effectiveness of Pakistan’s current weapons systems, highlighting the performance of both indigenous and foreign-made platforms. He particularly praised the contributions of Chinese-origin systems, such as the J-10C fighter and the recently acquired Z-10ME attack helicopters, which were officially inducted into service in August this year.
Despite increasing defense collaboration with China, Bloomberg noted that Pakistan continues to operate a diverse fleet, including US-made F-16 aircraft.