ISLAMABAD – Abi-Habib, the *NYT’s* South Asia correspondent has said USofficials still do not have sufficient reason to believe that an F-16 wasshot down by India, as claimed by IAF.

New Delhi had insisted that Pakistan’s use of F-16 against India meant thatIslamabad stood in violation of a sales agreement with the US, whichreportedly restricts the fighter jets to be used for anti-terrorismactivities alone.

She explained how Pakistan may not have committed a violation of its salesagreement with the US even if it did use F-16s to shoot down Indian jets(which the PAF nonetheless says never happened).

“The US says if Pakistan used an F-16 to shoot down an Indian MiG, it maynot have violated sale agreement,” she tweeted.

“They say if India entered Pakistani airspace for a second day, andPakistan used the jet defensively, the contract wasn’t violated. But, ifPakistan used an F-16 to attack India first, then deal was violated.

“Citing weapons experts and officials, Abi-Habib also put a question markon Indian Air Force’s claim that the AIM-120 missile’s remnant that wasdisplayed by New Delhi was ‘proof’ of Pakistan’s use of an F-16 in thecounter-strike to the Balakot incident.