RAWALPINDI – Pakistan Army on Monday once again rejected Indian claims of shooting down a Pakistani F-16 and the use of F-16 in air battle on February 27.
The event was part of history now. “No Pakistani F-16 was hit by Indian Air Force”, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) said in a statement today.
The military’s media wing added that the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) action for strikes across the Line of Control (LoC) was taken by JF-17 from within Pakistan airspace. “When two Indian jets crossed the LoC, they were shot down by PAF,” it said.
The question whether the two IAF planes were hit by F-16 or by JF-17 was meaningless, the communique read.
“Even if F-16s were used, at that point in time complete PAF was airborne including F-16s. The fact remains that PAF shot down two Indian jets in self-defence. It is India’s choice to pick F-16 or any other aircraft, the result remains the same.”
Pakistan, it added, retained the right to use “anything and everything” in its legitimate self-defence.
