- Thursday, April 03, 2025
By: indiaweekly.biz Staff
The US said on Sunday (3) it was trying to find out if Pakistan used US-built F-16 jets to down an Indian warplane, potentially in violation of the US agreements, as the stand-off between the nuclear-armed Asian neighbours appeared to be easing.
Pakistan and India both carried out aerial bombing missions this week, including a clash on last week that saw an Indian pilot shot down over Pakistan Occupied Kashmir (POK) in an incident that alarmed global powers and sparked fears of a war.
A Pakistan military spokesman last week denied Indian claims that Pakistan used F-16 jets.
Pakistan returned the captured Indian pilot on Friday (1) in a high-profile handover Islamabad touted as a “peace gesture”, which appeared to significantly dial down tensions, but both sides remain on high alert.
At the Line of Control (LoC), there was relative calm in the past 24 hours, both armies said on Sunday. But Indian security forces said they were carrying out major anti-militancy operations on their side on Kashmir and had shot dead two militants.
The US embassy in Islamabad said on Sunday it was looking into reports that Pakistan used F-16 jets to shoot down the Indian pilot, a potential violation of Washington’s military sale agreements that limit how Pakistan can use the planes.
“We are aware of these reports and are seeking more information,” a US embassy spokesperson said. “We take all allegations of misuse of defence articles very seriously.”
While Pakistan has denied using F-16 jets during a dogfight that downed an Indian Mig-21 warplane over Kashmir on Wednesday (27), it has not specified which planes it used, though it assembles Chinese-designed JF-17 fighter jets on its soil.
It is not clear what exactly these so-called “end-user agreements” restrict Pakistan from doing.
“The US government does not comment on or confirm pending investigations of this nature,” the US embassy added.
On Thursday (28), Indian officials displayed to reporters parts of what they called an air-to-air missile that can only be fired from F-16 jets, alleging they were used to bomb its side of Kashmir border on Wednesday.
A Pakistan military spokesman told reporters last week that Pakistani jets “locked” on Indian targets to demonstrate Pakistan’s capacity to strike back at India, but then chose to fire in an empty field where there would be no casualties.
Pakistan said its mission on Wednesday was in retaliation for India violating its airspace and sovereignty a day earlier, when Indian jets bombed a forest area near the northern city of Balakot.
India said it struck at militant training camps, but Islamabad denied any such camps existed, as did some villagers in the area when visited.
