India to come up with list of Pakistani losses shortly

Chief of Defence Staff (CDS) General Anil Chauhan has declared that India will publish a technical evaluation of the losses incurred by Pakistan during Operation Sindoor, detailing the quantity of aircraft and radar systems that were destroyed. While addressing an audience at Savitribai Phule Pune University during a lecture titled "Future Wars and Warfare," Gen Chauhan recognised the significant interest regarding the results of the strikes.

"Since there's always this inquisitiveness as to the result of strikes, which was visible more in the psychological domain, to all of us and everyone globally. We will take out this particular data based on technical parameters and share it with you," he said, adding, "We will tell you how many aircraft we destroyed and how many radars we destroyed. We'll make a rough assessment and come out with that shortly."

Answering questions on the importance of losses in the battlefield, the CDS insisted that outcomes and strategic actions mattered more than mere figures: "When I was asked about losses on our side, I said these are not important. The results and how you act are important. It would not be very correct to talk about losses...Suppose you go in a cricket test match, and you win by an innings defeat, there's no question of how many wickets, how many balls and how many players."

The statement arises in the context of discussions surrounding his recent interview with Reuters in Singapore, during which Gen Chauhan acknowledged that India committed "tactical mistakes" in the initial stages of the conflict. This acknowledgement was perceived as the clearest affirmation from India regarding losses incurred during the operation against Pakistan.

Inability to handle media

The difference between a fighter plane getting shot down and the grounding of "air assets" appears to be lost in translation.

Poor public diplomacy: The Modi government needlessly dispatched India’s Chief of Defense Staff to a forum in Singapore, where he handed a propaganda victory to Pakistan by acknowledging Indian warplane losses in a Reuters interview on the sidelines. Such admissions should have…

— Brahma Chellaney (@Chellaney) June 1, 2025

In spite of the initial challenges, Gen Chauhan noted, India implemented rapid tactical modifications and struck a significant blow to Pakistan.