India has given proof to US on Pak's use of F-16 when it violated Indian airspace to target military installations.
Tensions between India and Pakistan flared up after a suicide bomber of Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed killed 40 Central Reserve Police Force (CRPF) personnel in Kashmir's Pulwama district on February 14.
India launched a counter-terror operation in Balakot on February 26. The next day, Pakistan Air Force retaliated but was pushed back by the Indian Air Force which shot down one Pakistani F-16 jet in the process. India also lost a MiG-21 and its pilot Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman was captured. He was handed over to India on March 1.
While IAF has provided proof of Pakistan's use of F-16, Islamabad has said that no F-16 fighter jets were used in the offensive against India.
#Gravitas | Why is Pakistan trying to prove that the fighter jet shot down by IAF was not an F-16 Fighter. Is Pakistan afraid of the U.S. or #LockheedMartin, the maker of F-16 fighter jets?@Palkisu sums up. pic.twitter.com/bcMlS9FMSg
— WION (@WIONews) March 6, 2019
It is clear why Pakistan would not want the US to know that it used an F-16 jet to launch an attack against Indian military installations. However, it is curious to see that Washington is dragging the issue and is yet to seek answers from Islamabad.
1. Why Pakistan is lying
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Pakistan has bought F-16 jets, built by US defence manufacturer Lockheed Martin, which make up Pak Air Force's major chunk of fighter fleet. As part of the purchasing agreement, the US had put restrictions, the US had reportedly barred Pakistan from using the F-16s against any third country and it was only allowed to operate the fighter in self-defence and for anti-terror missions.
If Pakistan has used F-16 to target Indian military installations, it is a violation of the purchase agreement and Islamabad does not want to be held guilty of it, hence the blatant denial of evidence.
(Photo: File)
2. US response
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For a week, the US has been saying that it is "looking into" and "following closely" the reports of use of F-16 and has taken up the issue with Pakistan. A top State Department official on Wednesday said the US is "very closely" following the reports which have claimed that Pakistan misused American-made F-16 fighter jets against India.
"We've seen those reports and we're following that issue very closely," US State Department Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino told reporters at his biweekly news conference on Tuesday.
"I can't confirm anything, but as a matter of policy, we don't publicly comment on the contents of bilateral agreements that we have in this regard involving US defence technologies nor the communications that we have with other countries about that. So, we're taking a look and we're going to continue to take a look. I'm going to leave it at that," Palladino said.
(Photo: File)
3. 'US yet to seek details from Pakistan'
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The US State Department has said that it is seeking more information from Pakistan on the potential misuse of American-made F-16 fighter jets by it against India in violation of the end-user agreement.
However, diplomatic sources in Pakistan told WION that the US is yet to seek details of alleged misuse of F-16 jets in combat with India from Pakistan against India in the recent aerial confrontation between the air forces of the two countries.
(Photo: Reuters)
4. Downing of F-16: Proof
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The Indian Air Force on Thursday displayed parts of an AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence to "conclusively" prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir after India's anti-terror operation in Balakot.
AMRAAM missiles allow a fighter pilot to target an enemy aircraft that is beyond visual range, in day or night, and in all-weather conditions. They have an autonomous guidance capability, which allows the pilot to manoeuvre immediately after the missile's launch.
On the downing of F-16, there are pictures of debris of the jets that fell into Pakistan-Occupied Kashmir (PoK). These pictures bust the lies of Pakistan military and its government that no jet was shot down by the IAF.
5. India gives proof to US on Pak's use of F-16
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India has also given proof to the US about the use of F-16 fighters and AMRAAM missile by Pak Air Force. Official sources said on Tuesday that New Delhi was confident that Washington was carrying out a thorough investigation into use of the US-manufactured fighter as well as the missile onboard it in the offensive operation against India.
(Photo: PTI)
6. US under pressure from Lockheed Martin?
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One of the reasons why the US is not willing to take action against Pakistan for misuse of F-16 is pressure from Lockheed Martin. An F-16 jet being shot down by a MiG-21 Bison, a vintage jet compared to the American fighters, reflects poorly on the makers and thus the company wants the story buried.
(Photo: Lockheed Martin)
