Truth always prevails - Pakistan PM on India's claims of downing F-16

Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday said that the BJP's "attempt to win elections through whipping up war hysteria" has backfired. He was referring to the US-magazine Foreign Policy's article which claimed that all F-16s sold to Pakistan were accounted for indicating that India's claim of shooting down F-16 may not be true. "The truth always prevails and is always the best policy. BJP's attempt to win elections through whipping up war hysteria and false claims of downing a Pak F-16 has backfired with US Defence officials also confirming that no F16 was missing from Pakistan's fleet," Khan tweeted.

Foreign Policy's Lara Seligman claimed in an article on April 4 that US officials told her that all of Pakistan's F-16 jets were accounted for, following a recent check by US personnel after the February incident with India. This is in direct contradiction to India's claim that IAF Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a US-supplied Pakistani F-16 with his MiG-21 Bison before his plane was downed. Varthaman was captured by the Pakistani forces and later released as a peace gesture, according to Pakistani Prime Minister Imran Khan.

The Indian Air Force dismissed the US magazine's claim on Friday, asserting that electronic signatures had shown that it shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 jet opposite the Nowshera sector in Pakistan occupied Kashmir (PoK) during the aerial skirmish. IAF sources said radio communication of Pakistan Air Force, intercepted by it, confirmed that one of the F-16s that attacked India on February 27 did not return to its base.

(With inputs from agencies.)