Pakistan busted as its false claim of hitting India’s Adampur air base comes to light

Pakistan claimed its missiles hit the runway at the Air Force base in Adampur in Punjab, while also claiming that its Chinese JF-17 fighters destroyed the Russian-made S-400 missile defence system stationed there. Pakistan also claimed it had destroyed fighter jets and radar stations and that it had killed 60 Indian soldiers in its assault. According to sources, the Pak Army used morphed satellite images of the Adampur base to make these claims.

But the best counter came from Prime Minister Narendra Modi's when he was photographed at the base yesterday morning; the PM visited the Adampur base to interact with the soldiers stationed there and saluted their courage.

The salute was also a potent message to Pak - the S-400's missile stack was in the background.

This is possibly the first publicly released image of an S-400 missile defence system, which is hailed as one of the best in the world and of which India has three squadrons with two more to come.

The S-400 (Sudarshan Chakra) reportedly shot down several of the missiles Pak fired last week.

"Earlier this morning, I went to Air Force Station (AFS) Adampur and met our brave air warriors and soldiers. It was a very special experience to be with those who epitomise courage, determination and fearlessness," the Prime Minister said on X.

Officials said PM Modi landed at Adampur at 6.15 am and was there for nearly an hour. The brief visit followed his address to the nation on Monday night, in which he hailed India's soldiers for their bravery in the 100-hour missile-and-drone war against Pakistan.