Op Sindoor Took Pakistan By Surprise, They Didn’t Respond To India’s Strikes For 1 Hour: Tom Cooper

Last Updated:February 28, 2026, 16:25 IST

Tom Cooper at Rising Bharat: "Their press conference was not fitting with what was made out based on social media reports…Pakistan is boasting of something that didn’t happen."

Tom Cooper, Austrian aerial warfare analyst and historian, rubbished Pakistan’s tall claims on Operation Sindoor as “boasting of something that didn’t happen".

Speaking at the Rising Bharat summit on Saturday, Cooper said, “When comparing official Pakistani statements with what one can track on social media in Urdu, the two stories are not fitting."

“During his press conference, which was accepted in the West, Pakistani Air Vice-Marshall was explaining how they tracked Indian aircraft approaching the border and scrambled defence…It turns out Indian airstrike came in, hit selected targets in Pakistan and there was no reaction for at least 15 minutes…No scrambling pf jets was heard. Only reaction was from Noor Khan airbase. Whatever happened happened after one hour. During this time, Indian aircraft and Army completed the mission and returned safely with no damage," he said.

“On the other hand, Pakistanis were taken by surprise. The press conference was not fitting with what was made out based on the reports on social media…Obviously, the Pakistanis were late in time and it took them time to comprehend what had happened and then they moved to react. India’s strikes were completed without any hurdles…Pakistan is boasting of something that didn’t happen," said Cooper.

Operation Sindoor

Operation Sindoor was the Indian military campaign launched in May 2025 against terrorist infrastructure in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK). The operation was a response to a barbaric terror attack in Pahalgam on April 22, 2025, where 26 civilians were killed.

The active kinetic phase lasted four days, from May 7 to May 10, 2025. India carried out precision strikes on nine major terror launchpads and headquarters, including sites in Muridke and Bahawalpur linked to Jaish-e-Mohammed and Lashkar-e-Taiba.

The operation featured the first major combat use of indigenous high-tech systems, including Akash missiles and loitering munitions. A ceasefire was reached on May 10, 2025, following intense cross-border drone and missile exchanges.

What Pakistan had said

In the aftermath of Operation Sindoor, the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) and military leadership conducted press briefings that stood in sharp contrast to the accounts provided by India. Pakistan’s military spokesperson, Lt Gen Ahmed Sharif Chaudhry, initially confirmed that Indian missile strikes hit locations in Kotli, Muzaffarabad, and Bahawalpur, but the PAF officially denied the loss of any advanced fighter jets or surveillance aircraft.

During a televised briefing, Pakistani officials claimed to have shot down multiple Indian jets—a claim later dismissed by the Indian Air Force (IAF) as “fake storytelling" and “Manohar Kahaniyan" (fanciful tales).

Pakistan released footage of wreckage to support their narrative of Indian losses. However, Indian officials clarified that some of this footage was presented and generated by Pakistani sources themselves to mislead the public.

India’s counter

In response to Pakistan’s claims, Indian Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh held a detailed press conference in October 2025 to “set the record straight," revealing Pakistan’s losses.

Along with Five fighter jets and one advanced AEW&C surveillance plane, there was destruction of radars at four locations, two command and control centres, and multiple aircraft hangars at bases like Jacobabad and Bholari.

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