British security and defence analyst Professor Michael Clarke commented on Saturday that Pakistan may have taken India by surprise with the strength of its military hardware and technical capabilities, The News reported, citing Sky News.
In an interview with the British news outlet, Clarke stated that India would likely interpret Pakistan’s display of strength as an indication of risk-taking.
“The Indians might have been surprised by the hardware that the Pakistanis brought to bear,” he said, “because as we’re now discovering they’ve used quite a lot of their Chinese-based technology, and the attention at the moment is focused on the J-10 fighter.”
Clarke further noted that it appeared one of Pakistan’s J-10 jets may have shot down a Rafale, one of the French-made fighter aircraft in India’s arsenal. “And undoubtedly,” he continued, “the Pakistanis have used their HQ-9, anti-aircraft missiles, which again may have been rather effective.”
“So I think the Indians might have been surprised by the technical abilities that Pakistan seems to have absorbed with their Chinese equipment, but they won’t have been surprised by the bellicosity of [Gen Asim] Munir because they rather expected that,” he added.
He also mentioned that, in part, India’s response has been an attempt to, as it were, teach (Gen) Munir a lesson that they are genuinely prepared to do whatever is necessary, and they have indeed deployed a carrier battle group from their Western fleet.
“It’s positioned only 300 miles off Karachi, which constitutes a kind of threat of escalating to a more general war, unless the Pakistanis found a way to de-escalate from this position. Unfortunately, the international community has provided a framework where both sides could step back.”
He stated that both sides have agreed to a ceasefire, which was strongly advocated by the Trump administration and US Secretary of State Marco Rubio. However, he noted that the US administration was rather late in engaging, as the situation had been ongoing since Tuesday, but their words now appear to have made a difference.
US President Donald Trump announced on Saturday that India and Pakistan had agreed to a “full and immediate ceasefire” following a fourth day of strikes and counter-strikes against each other’s military installations.
Pakistan’s foreign minister also confirmed that both countries had agreed to a ceasefire “with immediate effect,” and India’s foreign ministry stated that it would commence at 5 pm Indian time (1130 GMT).
The latest escalation in the decades-old Pakistan-India rivalry began on May 7th when at least 31 civilians were killed in an unprovoked Indian cross-border attack. In retaliation, Pakistan downed five IAF fighter jets, including three Rafale aircraft, and numerous drones.
Shortly after the attack on Pakistani airbases in the early hours of Saturday, the Pakistan army launched its counter-attack as a direct response to continuous provocations by India.
In a significant success for the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), hypersonic missiles launched by JF-17 Thunders destroyed India’s S-400 system at Adampur airbase, according to security sources. The airbase also sustained damage during the strike.
The S-400 air defence system, valued at approximately $1.5 billion, is considered India’s most advanced air defence shield.
