In a creative display of confidence and wit, the Indian Air Force (IAF) celebrated its 93rd anniversary with a dinner menu that took a light-hearted jab at Pakistan’s failures during Operation Sindoor, the four-day confrontation between the two nuclear-armed neighbours from May 7–10, 2025.
At Punjab’s Adampur Airbase, chefs served a tongue-in-cheek “culinary strike” with dishes named after the very Pakistani airbases and towns hit by IAF precision weapons during the operation.
A Menu That Told a Story
From Rawalpindi Chicken Tikka Masala and Rafiqui Rhara Mutton to Bholari Paneer Methi Malai and Jacobabad Mewa Pulao, each item symbolized a location where the IAF inflicted heavy damage on Pakistani military infrastructure.
Other witty additions included Sargodha Dal Makhani, Sukkur Sham Savera Kofta, and Bahawalpur Naan, while the dessert lineup sweetly mocked the adversary with Balakot Tiramisu, Muzaffarabad Kulfi Faluda, and Muridke Meetha Pan.
The menu went viral after Union Minister Kiren Rijiju shared a photo of it on X (formerly Twitter), captioning:
“Interesting menu prepared by the Indian Air Force on the special occasion of #AirForceDay. IAF’s dinner menu had dishes named after Pakistan’s airbases which were bombed by the IAF during #OperationSindoor.”
Operation Sindoor: A Precision Campaign
Operation Sindoor was India’s decisive military response to the April 22 Pahalgam terror attack, which killed 26 people. Beginning on May 7, the IAF launched long-range strikes on terror camps and military installations deep inside Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK).
During the four-day campaign, India destroyed nine terror camps and struck 13 Pakistani airbases, killing over 100 militants. On May 13, Prime Minister Narendra Modi visited the Adampur base — the first to be falsely claimed as destroyed by Pakistan — symbolically debunking Islamabad’s propaganda of “massive Indian losses.”
Photos from the visit showed the Prime Minister standing beside an S-400 launcher and a MiG-29 fighter on an intact runway — proof that Pakistan’s claims of hitting Indian airbases were baseless.
Air Chief’s Statement
Air Chief Marshal A.P. Singh, during his IAF Day address, hailed the operation as a demonstration of India’s growing air power:
“India’s bold and precise attacks during Operation Sindoor restored the rightful place of offensive air action in the national consciousness.”
He later revealed that Pakistan lost 12–13 aircraft, including US-made F-16s and Chinese JF-17s, both in air combat and on the ground — the highest Pakistani losses since the 1971 war.
A Humorous Yet Powerful Message
The “Bahawalpur Naan” and “Balakot Tiramisu” menu wasn’t merely playful — it was a powerful statement of confidence, precision, and national pride. As one IAF officer at Adampur put it, “We served our guests with flavour and facts — both hard to digest for Pakistan.”
