‘80 jets, 400 missiles...’: Pakistan begs US for advanced air defence after India’s BrahMos strikes

Cornered by an overwhelming Indian air assault, a 13-member Pakistani delegation in Washington is now publicly pleading for advanced American weaponry. Pakistan’s Federal Minister Musadik Malik urged the US to sell them air defence systems and fighter jets — an extraordinary admission that starkly contrasts with Islamabad’s domestic claims of victory.

In a video widely circulated online, Malik said, “India came at with 80 planes carrying 400 missiles, some of which are capable of carrying nuclear warheads. You have seen what would have happened to us. We would have been in rubbles if we had no air defence systems. The technology that India was deploying is far advanced. So, we say bring it on man, give those technologies to us we will buy them from you.”

Malik is part of the team led by Pakistan People’s Party Chairman and former Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari, currently in Washington to hold talks with American officials and lawmakers.

His statement, however, flies in the face of Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif’s narrative at home. While Malik was asking for help, Sharif’s government continued to frame the latest conflict with India as a Pakistani triumph — claiming India was forced into a ceasefire and that Pakistan had emerged victorious. Islamabad even promoted Army Chief Syed Asim Munir to the rank of Field Marshal to commemorate the supposed win.

Sharif had earlier confirmed Indian strikes on Pakistani soil, including Rawalpindi, during the border escalation. “India launched its BrahMos missile, hitting Pakistan's various provinces, including the airport in Rawalpindi,” he admitted. In a separate speech at the Pakistan Monument in Islamabad, he added that Indian missiles had struck Nur Khan Airbase and other vital sites.

The Pakistani team’s urgent pitch in Washington comes shortly after India dispatched its own delegation to the US to present evidence on Pakistan’s terror infrastructure and brief officials on recent attacks, including ‘Operation Sindoor’ and the Pahalgam terror strike that killed 26 civilians in Jammu and Kashmir. The Indian side is led by Congress MP Shashi Tharoor.

Amid diplomatic pressure from both fronts, Pakistan has also sent another team to Moscow — an apparent attempt to hedge bets as global scrutiny intensifies.