India's "claim" of shooting down PAF F-16 fighter jet "completely baseless": FO

Pakistan has rejected as "completely baseless" India's assertion that a PAF F-16 fighter jet was shot down in a recent aerial combat between their air forces, saying the Indian government continues to "mislead" the people for domestic political mileage.

The Pakistan Foreign Office statement came after Ministry of External Affairs Spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said at a media briefing in New Delhi on Saturday that an Indian Air Force MiG-21 Bison, piloted by Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman, shot down a Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter aircraft and there are eyewitness accounts as well as electronic evidence for it.

"The Indian government and the Indian media continue to spread disinformation to mislead the international community, and the Indian people, for domestic political gains, while trying to cover up its failures and resultant embarrassment," Pakistan Foreign Office (FO) said late Saturday.

"False claims of an Indian aircraft having shot down a Pakistani F16 are completely baseless, meant only to satisfy Indian domestic audience, but in the process they also exposed their lies one after another," it said.

New Delhi on Saturday also said that it had asked the United States to also examine whether the use of F-16s against India is in accordance with the terms and conditions of sale of the fighter planes to Islamabad.

The statement also rejected India's stand that Pakistan-based Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) was behind the Pulwama terror attack, which it said had "indigenous origin, including the use of local explosives and vehicle, miles away from the Line of Control."
"Only one aircraft was lost by us. If, as Pakistan claims, they have a video recording of the downing of a second Indian aircraft, why have they not shown it to the international media even after more than one week?