As the crisis escalated, Pakistan sent "dual signals" - retaliating militarily while announcing a National Command Authority (NCA) meeting, a calculated reminder of its nuclear ca

Among them is Pakistan’s assertion that it shot down five Indian fighter jets on May 7, the first day of fighting, in response to Indian attacks on its territory. As a battle of narratives takes over from the actual fighting, Al Jazeera takes stock of what we know about that claim, and why, if true, it matters.

"Had Pakistan been sane enough to accept this fact and get over it, the entire situation would have ended at that point,” said Tom Cooper, referring to Operation Sindoor and the subsequent India-Pakistan conflict.