Pakistan's "Rafale loss claims" busted again, Indian Air Force document shows all 36 in service ::::: India is moving ahead with plans to procure 114 additional Rafale fighter jets

 Pak's Rafale loss claims busted again, Air Force document shows all 36 in service

An Indian Air Force tender seeking bridge support for all 36 Rafale fighter jets contradicts Pakistan's repeated claims that India lost multiple Rafales during Operation Sindoor. 

The official document seeks maintenance, logistics and technical support to sustain the fleet beyond September 2026, with an estimated 2,250 flying hours planned during the five-month support period. 

The bridge support arrangement is intended to ensure uninterrupted operations until a long-term support contract is finalised.

Pakistan's repeated claims that India lost multiple Rafale fighter aircraft during Operation Sindoor have been contradicted once again by an official Indian Air Force (IAF) document.

The Air Force now seeks bridge support for the entire fleet of 36 Rafale jets currently in service.

An Air Headquarters Request for Proposal (RFP), issued in June and accessed by 'India Today' invites bids for a five-month bridge support package covering all 36 Rafale fighter aircraft, the same number India procured from France under the government-to-government agreement signed in 2016.  

The Request for Proposal directly dismisses Pakistan's narrative that several Indian Rafale jets were destroyed during Operation Sindoor.

Had any aircraft been lost during India's military operation in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack in May 2025 , the fleet strength reflected in the maintenance proposal would likely have been lower.  

Pakistan had repeatedly claimed, through official statements and coordinated social media campaigns, that its forces shot down multiple Indian Rafale fighters during Operation Sindoor. India consistently dismissed those assertions as disinformation, accusing Pakistan of running a propaganda campaign to undermine the success of the IAF's operations.

The latest development also adds to earlier evidence that had already cast doubt on Pakistan's claims. Several Rafale aircraft bearing tail numbers that Pakistani social media accounts had claimed were "destroyed" were later photographed and recorded participating in operational flying, further weakening Islamabad's assertions.

The Rafale fleet played a central role during Operation Sindoor, carrying out precision strikes against targets inside Pakistan. Defence officials have maintained that the aircraft performed as intended during the operation and have repeatedly rejected claims of any combat losses.

The June 2026 tender is now the latest official record reinforcing India's position that its Rafale fleet remains intact, delivering another setback to Pakistan's repeated claims about the aircraft's destruction.

Meanwhile, India is moving ahead with plans to procure 114 additional Rafale fighter jets from French defence major Dassault Aviation under the Multi-Role Fighter Aircraft (MRFA) programme. 

The proposed acquisition was discussed during the recent talks between Prime Minister Narendra Modi and French President Emmanuel Macron.  

The Ministry of External Affairs said discussions on the Rafale programme have progressed, with Prime Minister Modi emphasising the "Make in India" initiative and advocating a framework based on co-development, co-design and co-production for future defence projects between India and France.  

During 88 hours conflict; India conducted retaliatory strikes on Radar installations in Lahore and Radar facilities near Gurjanwala destroyed.

Ceasefire: Inflicted by this heavy damage, Pakistan's Director General of Military Operations (DGMO) called the Indian DGMO and it was agreed between them that both sides would stop all firing and military action on land and in the air and sea with effect from 1700 hours Indian Standard Time on 10th May 2025.

Pakistani Response after ceasefire: Even after ceasefire, Wave of UAVs and small drones intruded into Indian civilian and military areas. These drones were successfully intercepted.

The Indian Armed Forces gave a befitting response to Pakistan’s intrusion. Further, all field commanders have been authorized to take appropriate action in case of any ceasefire violation.

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"Bhul na korley ei shob hoto na" --- "We would not have faced such situations had we not done anything wrong ::::: Awami League historically revolved around a single, dominant figure .... After 2008, AL underwent transformation & isolated middleclass

The trajectory of Awami Lwague, from a liberation vanguard to a dominant, heavily personalised, and allegedly autocratic political machine within a span of a few decades, is nonetheless interesting.

Despite having a collective leadership in its formative years, AL has historically revolved around a single, dominant figure. 

After 2008, AL of Bangladesh underwent a deep transformation, alienating it from its traditional roots, the middle-class. 

It indulged in a culture of cronyism, power worship, and sycophancy. And it suffered as a result.  

The Bangladesh Awami League, commonly known as the Awami League was founded on 23 June 1949.

It played a vital role in the country's struggle for independence. The party had maintained a sole dominance over the country's political system between 2009 and 2024, before being ousted in the July Uprising. 

Since May 2025, all activities of the party are banned in Bangladesh.

On 23 June 1949, the party was founded as the East Pakistan Awami Muslim League, and after 1955 as the East Pakistan Awami League, by Abdul Hamid Khan Bhashani, Yar Mohammad Khan, Shamsul Huq, and 

Sheikh Mujibur Rahman. 

It was eventually established as the provincial party of the All-Pakistan Awami League, founded by Huseyn Suhrawardy which was the alternative to the domination of the Muslim League in Pakistan and over centralization of the government. 

The party had quickly gained vast popular support in East Pakistan. 

From the 1950s, the Bangalee Muslim middle-class emerged as a dominant social force. AL cultivated language-based nationalism among them over a span of two decades, paving the way for a new country - Bangladesh. 

According to 'The Daily Star' of Dhaka, Awami League’s birth was not an accident. 

Conditions were ripe. A section of the disgruntled rank-and-file of the ruling Muslim League (ML) convened a meeting in Dhaka on June 23, 1949, to voice their grievances. 

From there emerged the idea of forming a political party of ML supporters outside the orbit of the official Muslim League dominated by the political elite centred at the Ahsan Manzil. 

The contradiction between ML and AL sharpened in a couple of years, centring the debate on the state language issue. Subsequently, AL emerged as a formidable opposition party. 

 

“In the end a decent man tried his very best in an almost impossible job …” - Newspaper Mirror on Starmer's resignation :::: "..... having triggered no grave economic crises, having been accused of no scandalous act"

'The Times' turns to Andy Burnham, and contrasts the image of Starmer at the podium outside No 10, with that of the newly elected MP for Makerfield taking a selfie in Westminster surrounded by the ranks of the parliamentary Labour party.

“Burnham angles for power”, the paper’s headline reads, adding that the former mayor of Manchester could be prime minister by “next month”.  

“Out of time”, reads the Mirror headline, under an image of Starmer and his wife, Victoria.

“He stood up to Trump, lifted half a million kids out of poverty, protected workers and renters,” the front page reads, before conceding the “failures were glaring”.

“In the end a decent man tried his very best in an almost impossible job …”, it says.   

“‘Messiah’ without a mandate”, reads the Mail’s headline, with the paper reporting on a poll of their own readers, 89% of whom say Burnham should “go to the ballot box” and call an early election.

Newly elected Makerfield MP Andy Burnham addresses members and supporters of the Labour Party after he won the Makerfield by-election : June 19th 

The 'Daily Telegraph' describes Burnham’s ascent as a “coronation”, and reports on calls from Nigel Farage for an early election.

Writing below the main story, columnist Tim Stanley sketched out Burnham’s day in Westminster, under the headline 

--- “He’s not the Messiah, but a naughty boy is exactly what Labour wants”.  

The Sun notes that at the current schedule, Burnham could become prime minister on the eve of the World Cup final. Charecterising the day’s events as “Burnham’s No10 coup”, the paper runs the headline “He thinks it’s all over … an it definitely is for Starmer”.  

The 'Daily Express' uses its front page to mark the 10th anniversary of Britain voting to leave the EU, with the headline “Give us a proper Brexit”.

Noting that the anniversary comes as the UK loses another prime minister, the paper calls on the country’s politician’s to “deliver the will of the people” and finally “believe in Brexit”.

Scotland’s Daily Record notes that Britain is set for its “seventh PM in just 10 years”, under the headline: “It all ends in Keirs”.  

The Guardian leads with an image of Starmer delivering his resignation speech, accompanied by the headline “Starmer bows out … as Burnham sweeps in”.

Jonathan Freedland looks at the rise and fall of the prime minister, and asks how a man that won a landslide victory in July 2024, could be pushed out less than two years later, “having started no illegal wars, having triggered no grave economic crises, 

... having been accused of no scandalous act of corruption.”

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Pakistan has a history of being humiliated in international fora; this time it happened to the US as Trump's "favourite field marshal" and his sycophant PM Sharif looked on ::: Iranians comfortable asserting ... and Americans struggling to display authority !!

 Iran's Switzerland snub of JD Vance, and Washington's humiliation is complete

Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefly walked out of the opening session of US-Iran talks in Switzerland after speaking to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif. The episode and later shifts in Washington's stance sharpened the view that Tehran was negotiating from a position of strength.  

Pakistan has a history of being humiliated in international fora. This time it happened to the US. 

Vice President Vance (left red-faced) in discussion with Pakistani PM Shehbaz Sharif and Army Chief Asim Munir.

 

In diplomacy, defeats often become clear only in hindsight, when weeks of concessions are distilled into a single defining image.

That image may have emerged on Sunday at a luxury Swiss resort, where US-Iran peace talks produced a moment that increasingly symbolises a negotiation process tilting toward Tehran.

The scene unfolded during the opening session when Iranian Foreign Minister Abbas Araghchi briefly spoke to Pakistani Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif before abruptly leading his delegation out of the room.  

The move, reportedly triggered by fresh comments from US President Donald Trump and disagreements over diplomatic optics, stunned the Pakistani mediators and left US Vice President JD Vance visibly caught off guard.

The walkout was brief and talks soon resumed. But the visuals spread rapidly, reinforcing a growing perception that Iran entered the negotiations from a position of confidence while Washington was left reacting.

THE OPTICS MATTERED

The video captured more than a temporary interruption.

Araghchi appears to quietly relay a message to Sharif before leaving. A surprised Sharif is then seen gesturing toward Pakistan Army Chief Asim Munir, while clueless Vance soon joins the pair in what appears to be a discussion about the Iranian exit.

For critics, the symbolism began even before the walkout.

The US delegation entered the room first and waited. 

In diplomacy, the side with leverage rarely does the waiting. 

Vance was already in position before the cameras. The Iranian delegation entered later. 

Araghchi arrived last and declined to shake hands.  

No statement was required. The images conveyed their own message.

Whether choreographed or not, the sequence projected an Iranian delegation comfortable asserting itself and an American team struggling to project authority.

A DISPLAY OF LEVERAGE

Iranian officials linked the walkout to a proposed joint photo opportunity and Trump's latest threats of military escalation. Tehran reportedly rejected the photo-op as an American media exercise.

The incident also reflected a broader trend. Over recent weeks, Washington has softened several positions it once described as non-negotiable. Trump recently suggested it would be unfair to deny Iran the right to possess at least some ballistic missiles, a notable shift from earlier rhetoric.

Against that backdrop, the Swiss walkout looked less like a diplomatic disruption and more like a display of confidence.

The defining image was not that Iran left the room. It was that Tehran appeared comfortable doing so, knowing the talks would likely wait for its return.

In diplomacy, perception often becomes reality. And in Switzerland, the optics favored Iran.

FROM DESTROYING MISSILES TO ACCEPTING THEM

The biggest indication of Tehran's negotiating success may not have come in Switzerland but in Paris.

When the US and Israel launched military operations against Iran earlier this year, Trump repeatedly argued that Tehran's missile capabilities posed an unacceptable threat and vowed that Iran's missile infrastructure would be dismantled.  

However, after signing the 14-point memorandum with Tehran, Trump adopted a markedly different tone.

Speaking to reporters in Paris, he suggested it would be unfair to completely deny Iran the right to possess ballistic missiles if other regional countries retained similar capabilities.

The remarks represented a significant shift from Washington's earlier objective of eliminating Iran's missile threat altogether.

For Iranian negotiators, the comments amounted to a public acknowledgment that one of Tehran's most important strategic assets would survive the crisis.

TEHRAN'S GAINS MULTIPLY

The memorandum contains several provisions widely viewed as favourable to Iran.

Under the framework, Washington would move toward lifting sanctions, facilitate waivers for Iranian oil exports, release frozen Iranian assets and ease restrictions that have weighed on the Iranian economy for years.

The agreement also does not require Iran to dismantle its entire missile programme, while negotiations over broader nuclear issues are deferred to a future final agreement.

The agreement reportedly includes sanctions suspensions on Iranian oil exports and discussions about a $300 billion reconstruction and investment package.

Meanwhile, Iranian officials have indicated that Tehran intends to retain influence over traffic through the Strait of Hormuz, one of the world's most important energy corridors.

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June 23rd - Awami League Foundation Day ::: BGB deployed in five districts to maintain law and order ::: Army, Navy Air Force given magisterial powers until June 30

Armed forces officers given magisterial powers until June 30

Authority covers arrests, searches and dispersal of unlawful gatherings to maintain public order

 Representational image - The Daily Star, Dhaka 

The Bangladesh government has granted special executive magistracy powers of commissioned officers in the army, navy and air force for nine days until June 30 from today.

The Ministry of Public Administration issued a notification to this effect on Monday evening.  

BGB deployed in five districts to maintain law and order

The Border Guard Bangladesh (BGB) has been deployed in five districts to maintain law and order.

The BGB said its personnel were deployed in Cox’s Bazar, Madaripur, 

Sherpur, Gazipur, and Moulvibazar following directives from the Bangladesh home ministry.

The BGB personnel will perform duties in coordination with the respective district administrations and law enforcement agencies from until June 30.  

Earlier, the government ordered the deployment of army personnel in Dhaka, Chattogram, and Gazipur metropolitan areas, as well as Narayanganj, Gopalganj and Faridpur districts.

Police Headquarters earlier issued a nationwide alert over fears of possible clashes between Awami League activists and members of other political parties ahead of the party’s founding anniversary on June 23.

India's new high commissioner to Bangladesh, Dinesh Trivedi, a fulltime Neta, has recently taken charge in Dhaka at a time when Indian push-ins have become a contentious issue in Dhaka-Delhi ties, despite efforts to repair relations strained by the fall of the Awami League government in 2024.

Trade restrictions imposed by both sides are affecting businesses, while India has yet to fully resume visa facilities for Bangladeshis.

Other important issues that remain to be settled include the renewal of the Ganges and Teesta water-sharing treaties.

Foreign policy analysts said Trivedi, who was handlicked by PM Narendra Modi and who was born and raised in West Bengal has in-depth knowledge of the politics of Bengal and Bangladesh, and that this will help him improve ties between the neighbours.  

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Messi ... 'newsmaker' ... misses Penalty but scores two goals against Austria :::: Lionel Messi makes more 'World Cup history' as Argentina claims a fairly comfortable victory

Lionel Messi became the leading scorer in World Cup history as the captain struck twice to give Argentina a 2-0 win over Austria on Monday and send the champions into the last 32. 

These came at the important part of his career as he awaits his birthday on June 24th.  

M

The star player widely regarded as the greatest of all time pounced late in the first half in Texas with a trademark left-footed finish after neat build-up play.

The predatory goal added to his hat-trick in Argentina's opening match to make it 17 in total at the World Cup.

He then sealed the match deep in injury time after a scramble in the box, as he outfoxed four defenders who lined up to keep the ball out.  

It should have been even better for Messi, who missed a penalty early on, stunning a fiercely pro-Argentina 70,649 crowd at the air-conditioned home of the Dallas Cowboys.

With both sides knowing a win would put them into the knockout rounds with a game to spare, Lautaro Martinez was brought down in the box, sandwiched by two Austrian players.

Referee Amin Mohamed gave a penalty after a VAR intervention, and a wall of noise went up as Messi stepped forward on nine minutes.

RSS influence 'again' in focus as BJP national team is set to be announced and PM Modi may appoint new Governors and 'reshuffle' his ministry

Some kind of astronomical and astrological and politico-logical calculations were done. 

Sources say the announcement in BJP's new team of office bearers and the proposed mega reshuffle of the Modi cabinet may come anytime now. June 22 Monday was one sort of a deadline or a 'beginning line'.

 

There is a guessing game that around 30-35 per cent of the existing leadership is expected to remain in place. But steps will be taken to bring several leaders currently active at the state level and even district level directly into national politics. 

"We do not ignore the fact that 12 year is often a big time space in politics. A man who was 60 in 2014 is now 72.... this obvious fact is into consideration. Similarly, a 20-year-young BJP karyakarta is now 32 and can take any major responsibility," says an informed source. 

Other dynamics are also involved. The NDA as a coalition has grown into multiple shapes and forms in the last 12 years. Moreover, more changes are happening too. The sudden supply of MPs in both the Houses at the cost of nearly fatal-end of regional satraps such as Uddhav Thackeray and Mamata Banerjee will also have to be scrutinised closely.

The government's priority is a few legislative agenda and that include women quota and the Delimitation Exercise. The entire nation's political landscape and sociial-equations related to these will change in the next few months if not earlier.

Reports suggest, possible names have already been discussed with Organisation General Secretary B L Santhosh and other senior party functionaries including the likes of Amit Shah and Rajnath Singh. PM Narendra Modi is himself monitoring things. 

The RSS factor is also being weighed in. The BJP will still require foot soldiers from the Sanghparivar.

In July 2024, the Modi government (3.0) lifted a 58-year-old ban that restricted government employees from participating in RSS activities, allowing closer ties between the bureaucracy and the organisation.

Among the women, those being considered are Kamaljeet Sehrawat (Delhi), Kangana Ranaut (Himachal Pradesh), Vanathi Srinivasan (National President of Mahila Morcha), Smriti Irani (former Women and Child Development Minister), Sandhya Ray (Madhya Pradesh), Mahima Kumari Mewar (Rajasthan) and Locket Chatterjee (West Bengal).  

Some key figures currently in the government may be assigned responsibilities within the organisation. Should PM Modi also touch key portfolio like Finance vis-a-vis Nirmala Sitharaman or External Affairs Minister like Dr S Jaishankar remain to be seen.

More than half of new office-bearers could be below 50, reflecting the party’s push to promote younger leadership. In the past a number of RSS leaders were made Governors across India.

P B Acharya, La Ganesan in Nagaland. 

In January 2017, V. Shanmuganathan, the then-Governor of Meghalaya and a veteran RSS activist, had resigned following serious allegations of misconduct.

Others in the list included: 

Haribhau Kisanrao Bagde: Appointed Governor of Rajasthan. Gulab Chand Kataria - Governor of Assam (later shifted to Punjab).

O P Mathur - Appointed Governor of Sikkim. 
Ramen Deka from Assam - appointed Governor of Chhattisgarh.
Jishnu Dev Varma: Former Deputy CM of Tripura, appointed Governor of Telangana. 

C.P. Radhakrishnan: From Tamil Nadu made Jharkhand Governor. Later shifted to Maharashtra and is now Vice President of India. 

New Nagaland Governor Nand Kishore Yadav also has RSS association. Union Power Minister Manohar Lal Khattar also has Sangh background and was Haryana chief minister for 10 years. 

For records : Key Union Ministers with RSS Backgrounds 
Narendra Modi - Prime Minister,  Others -- Amit Shah, Rajnath Singh, Nitin Gadkari, J P Nadda, Shivraj Singh Chouhan, Bhupender Yadav and Dharmendra Pradhan. 

Should Modi oblige the protesters and change his Education Minister?

Devendra Fadnavis, Chief Minister of Maharashtra, has strong roots in the RSS. His father, Gangadharrao Fadnavis, was a prominent pracharak.  

RSS chief Mohan Bhagwat’s intellectual inputs are always valuable.  

Mohan Bhagwat and his team were engaged in different formats. 

In one such meeting around 2018-19; Bhagwat reportedly said – “Human beings are always at different stages of evolution … hence all of us belong to the same species and same nationhood of Hinduness must be stressed”. 

All these remarks made more relevance once 2024 election results came in. 

For Maharashtra and Haryana state elections; all differences between BJP and RSS and other wings such as Bajrang Dal were forgotten. 

The ‘united’ efforts and good coordination between BJP and RSS leaders and key government functionaries both in the centre and the state levels yielded good dividends.

The Haryana-Maharashtra model was adopted for the Delhi assembly election too. And in West Bengal, such a historic success is not possible without effective coordination.  

****

Even day-to-day issues like Delhi’s pollution, Yamuna cleanliness, family values and corruption were discussed. Over 400,000 (4 lakh) people reportedly attended the RSS drawing room meetings across Delhi. At one point such small gathering numbers went up to 50,000 in the run-up to voting day.  

The essence of Good Governance is linked to politics and powerplay. 

By that logic all governance projects and schemes should actually ensure that the fruits of development reach ‘Daridranarayan’ - the faceless common and poor Indian – as believed by RSS ideologues. 

An organic chemistry between various governmental wings and the RSS-backed organisations and the Sanghpaivar fountainhead is minimum expectation.

In a meeting in 2014 (within months Narendra Modi was PM); HRD Minister Smriti Irani was told by Suresh Soni and a few other RSS ideologues that the ideology hold must be strengthened on the BJP and crucial government departments.

It was argued the “Congress suffered” immensely in terms of people's perception and a party’s value system and principles because - it was influenced and guided by ministers. 

Under Modi, hence it was a deliberate decision that the BJP and RSS should continue to “guide” the ministers and even prescribe “Dos and Don’ts” for critical ministries.

The decision to frame a New Education Policy (NEP) was taken long back around 2014 itself. And after many twists and turns today the NEP bears the clear imprint of of the RSS ideology or Hindutva punctuated cleverly with adjectives around ancient civilizational values and neo nationalism. 

PM himself had made it clear that his vision on ‘New India’ will be around Uniform Civil Code, emphasis on Patriotism, Cultural Unity and moral roots. 

Insiders say all throughout despite blow-hot and blow-cold time ‘problems’ between Nagpur and BJP on who will be next BJP president – all these critical meetings went on unhindered. “We are committed to Nation First … so small issues do not matter," is the refrain from key BJP ministers – who have been with the RSS and the BJP lifelong.

It was also decided that necessary ground would have to be done by “reworking in school textbooks and higher education syllabi” to suit the anti-Muslim slant. 

Reportedly, the then Finance Minister Late Arun Jaitley was tasked to ‘evolve’ mechanism under which –

Financial support was to be extended by the government (s) – Central and states – to the RSS-inspired organisations. This included sponsoring workshops and seminars. (Many say a few experts with Left wing experience were also approached for their inputs.) 

Old timers reveal that there are over 30 RSS-inspired organisations that are formally recognized by Nagpur.

West Bengal and Tripura reportedly figured prominently around 2016-17 especially after West Bengal elections of 2016 when Mamata returned to power. 

The timing was important as Tripura went to polls in early 2018 and as an experiment few ‘time-tested’ RSS hands were deputed to work in Tripura.

Blogger and former Nagaland Governor La Ganesan (ex RSS leader from Tamil Nadu) 

The ‘Chalo Paltai’ slogan was reportedly mooted first by a retired government official and the BJP realised later that the move would pay them dividends. The Marxists were defeated in Tripura in 2018.

Around that time, Amit Shah was asked by ‘karyakartas’ once whether Bengali mindset has been changed as people in Tripura voted overwhelmingly for the BJP shunning their earlier intellectual trappings.

Shah’s response: “This is half-truth… Bengali Hindus in Tripura were victims of Partition once and hence naturally they could come to the BJP". 

This was not the case with West Bengal where communists and Islamic influence were far old and far stronger. 

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