WASHINGTON – The United States will not share any information with Indiaabout Pakistan’s F-16 aircraft as “it is a bilateral matter” between thetwo countries, according to a US official.
“Soon after we were informed by the Indian side about Pakistan using F-16aircraft on February 27, we informed the Indians that we will not besharing any information on the subject as it is a bilateral matter betweenthe US and Pakistan,” the US official was quoted by The Sunday Express assaying in its reportlink.
Highlighting the underlying logic that if a third country tomorrow wantsinformation about the C130 or C17 or Apaches that the Indian air force(IAF) uses, the US official said “our answer would be the same”. “It is abilateral matter between India and the US.”
The report further quoted the US official as saying that New Delhi has sofar neither presented any evidence nor asked for any inputs about the“shooting down” of an F-16 by the IAF on February 27. He [the US official]said the only evidence he has seen was “what was presented in the Indianmedia,” it added.
To show that Pakistan used the American F-16s, India presented partsshowing the cover and serial number markings of a fired AIM-120 AdvancedMedium Range Air To Air Missile (AMRAAM) which can only be fired from anF-16 aircraft. But no AWACS pictures or radar images were shared with theUS, for reasons of IAF’s “operational security”.
New Delhi made up its claim based on reports that the US sold F-16 fightersto Pakistan on the condition that they would be used only in a defensiverole, and the PAF had used them for an air strike targeting Indian militaryinstallations.
But Pakistan’s military spokesman, DG ISPR Major General Asif Ghafoor,clarified: “As regards how to use F-16, in what context (they) were used ornot — because at that point of time our entire Air Force was airborne — itremains between Pakistan and the US to see how the MoUs (memorandums ofunderstanding) regarding the use of F-16 have been adhered to or otherwise.”
Earlier, US officials have confirmed that they have counted the number ofPakistan Air Force F-16s in service and can say that none were lost to theIndian Air Force on Feb 27 this year.
After the Pulwama suicide bombing by a young Muslim man born and bred inIndia-held Kashmir killed at least 40 paramilitary personnel on Feb 14 lastand a claim of responsibility was purportedly made by the Pakistan-basedJaish-e-Mohammad, India launched air strikes against an alleged JeM camp, areligious seminary, in the northern Khyber Pakhtunkhwa province on Feb 26.
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While the Indian side claims to have inflicted heavy loss of life, killingup to 300 alleged fighters belonging to JeM, Pakistan denied the claim,saying that the IAF warplanes were forced to drop their payload whenconfronted by Pakistani interceptors and only damaged some trees.
However, Pakistan appeared determined to answer in kind to a violation ofits airspace and sovereignty by its eastern neighbour and the very next dayavowedly first locked on to Indian military and administration targetsbefore firing on uninhabited ground in the Indian Held Kashmir (IHK).
At some point during this operation, IAF planes that were also airborne,flew across the Line of Control towards Pakistan and were engaged by thePAF which claimed shooting down both.
One downing of a MiG-21 Bison was verified as its wreckage was found on thePakistan side and its pilot IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman wascaptured after he ejected over Azad Kashmir. Pakistan’s military spokesmansuggested that the other plane possibly a SU-30 fell on the Indian side.
Some 60 hours after the Indian wing commander was handed back to India,sections of their media started to claim that before being hit himself theIndian flier had also shot down a PAF F-16, a claim contemptuouslydismissed by Pakistan.
But more than the Indian authorities, sections of the Indian media continueto propagate the myth that indeed a Pakistani F-16 had been downed.
The Indian media also tried its best to play down the crash of an IAF Mi-17helicopter – possibly hit by the MiG-21 Bison flown by Abhinandan – thatclaimed the lives of seven servicemen.
