ISLAMABAD – The United States wants to know if Pakistan used US-made F-16fighter jets to shoot down an Indian warplane, which may be a violationof the sale agreement between Washington and Islamabad, said a spokespersonfor the US Embassy in Pakistan.
“We are aware of these reports and are seeking more information. We takeall allegations of misuse of defence articles very seriously”, thespokesperson said.
While the Indian military has stepped up accusations against Pakistan,Islamabad has consistently denied having scrambled US-built F-16s, acquiredunder a “fight against terrorism” programme, in the recent Kashmir incident.
In addition, the Indian side claims that a Pakistan Air Force F-16 had beendowned and displayed parts of AMRAAM medium-range missile that wasrecovered in the Indian-administered part of Kashmir, alleging that theyhad been launched by a US-made jet. Pakistan has strongly denied theallegations, insisting that it has not lost any aircraft.
In a parallel development, CNN has suggested that it may have been aChinese-designed JF-17 fighter jet produced jointly by Islamabad andBeijing that brought down the Indian plane last week and resulted in thecapture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman.
Indian Air Chief Marshal S Krishnaswamy, in the meantime, has penned anarticle for the Hindustan Times, in which he hailed Abhinandan as the”first combat pilot in the Indian Air Force (IAF) to shoot down an F-16″.
He also speculated on reports that the F-16 pilot had been killed, and saidthat if those rumours prove to be true, “that would be a great loss to thePakistan Air Force”.
Historically tense relations between India and Pakistan have hit anotherlow since Pakistan-based terrorist group Jaish-e Mohammad claimedresponsibility for a suicide attack on a convoy with Indian security forceson 14 February that killed over 40 soldiers. In the wake of the attack, NewDelhi accused Islamabad of harbouring terrorists — a claim vehementlyrejected by Pakistan as “unsubstantiated”.
In response, the IAF conducted an air raid against an alleged Jaish-eMohammad training camp in Pakistan-administered Kashmir, reportedlyeliminating a number of facilities on 26 February. – Sputnik