The French Navy has strongly condemned the Pakistani media for spreading “disinformation and misinformation” about India’s Operation Sindoor targeting Pakistan-sponsored terror sites following the April Pahalgam terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that claimed the lives of 26 civilians.
The clarification followed an article published by Islamabad’s Geo TV on November 21 which claimed that a French naval commander confirmed Pakistan’s air superiority and said that Indian Rafale jets were shot down during border skirmishes.
The navy said the report not only misquoted the French officers, but even published the wrong name, referring to the officer as “Jacques Launay” instead of his real name, Captain Yvan Launay.
In a statement posted on its official X account, Marine Nationale said all remarks attributed to Captain Launay were fictitious. “These statements were attributed to Captain Launay, who never consented to any form of publication. The article contains extensive misinformation and disinformation,” it said.
The disputed article sensationally claimed that the French commander had told an Indo-Pacific conference that Pakistan’s air force had performed “much better” during the May 6-7 confrontation involving more than 140 fighter jets. He also claimed to have confirmed that Indian Rafales were shot down and linked the result to alleged Chinese support. The French Navy said none of this was true.
According to the Navy, Captain Launay’s actual role is limited to commanding the Naval Air Station at Landivisiau, where Rafale Marine aircraft are based, contrary to Pakistan’s portrayal of him as a senior operational authority involved in the India-Pakistan conflict. According to France, his presentation at the conference was purely technical: he described the mission of the Rafale Marine, the concept of the carrier strike group and the general challenges that pilots face in high-intensity aerial combat.
The French Navy further clarified that when asked about Operation Sindoor, Captain Launay neither confirmed nor denied any claims of casualties and refused to comment on allegations of Chinese jamming of Indian aircraft. The Navy also added that he never mentioned China’s J-10, contradicting what the Pakistani media was trying to project.
What Pakistani news has written?
A Pakistani news site wrote that “Captain Launay addressed why the Rafale’s radar system malfunctioned during combat and said the problem was operational rather than technical.” “There was nothing wrong with the war machine, but the machine was not used properly,” he explained, adding that “the Rafale can compete and beat the Chinese J-10C in any combat situation.”
The French Navy rejected the story, saying it “never mentioned the Chinese J-10,” another claim peddled by Pakistani intelligence.
Operation Sindoor
India launched a military operation on May 7, targeting and destroying numerous terrorist infrastructures in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
The military conflict, which lasted for almost 88 hours, came to a halt after the two sides reached an agreement on the evening of 10 May.
Operation Sindoor not only degraded terror networks, but redefined India’s red lines on terrorism.
(With input from agencies)
