India claims to shoot down F-16, Pak says no
He said that Pakistan had not used F-16 in the entire operation and no Pakistani fighter jet had been hit.
New Delhi: After reports that three Pakistani fighter jets entered Indian air space at 9:58 am to target key military installations in Rajouri and Naushera in Jammu & Kashmir, as part of the retaliatory strike, India says Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 that violated Indian air space was shot down three kilometres within Pakistan territory in Lam valley, Nowshera sector.
News agency ANI reported that a parachute belonging to Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 was seen going down, and the condition of the pilot was unknown.
Though only three Pakistani jets violated Indian air space, the package of the aircraft deployed by Pakistan Air Force (PAF) for the operation was “significantly large” as it comprised a fleet of JF-17 and F-16 combat aircraft, Indian sources said.
However, Pakistan’s director general Inter-Services Public Relation (ISPR), Major General Asif Ghafoor, refuted India’s claim of shooting down Pakistan’s F-16 aircraft. He said that Pakistan had not used F-16 in the entire operation and no Pakistani fighter jet had been hit.