On November 4, 2023, the Pakistani Air Force training base in Mianwali was attacked by militants. The Pakistani military claimed that the attack was quickly repelled, but independent analysts and media reports suggest that the damage was more extensive.
The Pakistani military’s official account of the attack was that nine attackers were killed and three aircraft were damaged. However, the militant group Tehreek-e-Jihad Pakistan (TJP) claimed that they had destroyed two compounds, annihilated nearly 40 aircraft, disabled the radar system, destroyed the base’s oil depot, killed approximately 30 personnel, and destroyed a tank.
Independent security analyst Ayesha Siddiqa also suggested that the military was concealing the true extent of the damage and casualties, saying that sources had told her that the actual loss was 14 aircraft and 35 military personnel.
Satellite imagery reviewed by The Associated Press also revealed damage at the base, raising questions about the scale of the attack and the military’s response.
The discrepancy between the military’s account and the reports from independent analysts and media outlets is not an isolated incident. In February 2022, the Balochistan Liberation Army (BLA) claimed responsibility for attacks in Noshki and Panjgur, Balochistan. The BLA’s narrative of the attacks diverged sharply from the military’s, with the BLA claiming heavy military casualties and extensive damage.
The Pakistani military’s reporting methods have been called into question, with some suggesting that the military minimizes the impact of such attacks. This lack of transparency has led to public doubt and criticism, and has created a vacuum where insurgent narratives are gaining attention and credibility.
The ISPR’s credibility as an information source is increasingly under scrutiny. If the ISPR persists in minimizing the impact of such attacks, the public and the international media may deem insurgent or independent accounts to be a more accurate reflection of the on-ground realities.