Islamabad/Srinagar: The United States has said it was trying to find out if Pakistan used US-built F-16 jets to down an Indian warplane, potentially in violation of US agreements, as the stand-off between the nuclear-armed neighbours appeared to be easing.
Pakistan and India were involved in an aerial engagement this week in which an IAF pilot was captured in Pakistan in an incident that alarmed global powers and sparked fears of a war.
A Pakistan military spokesman on Wednesday denied Indian claims that Pakistan used F-16 jets.
Pakistan returned the captured pilot on Friday in a high-profile handover that 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. However, Indian security forces said they were carrying out major anti-militancy operations in 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, it has not specified which planes it used, though it assembles Chinese-designed JF-17 fighter jets on its soil.
Pakistan has a long history of buying US military hardware, especially in the years after 2001 when Islamabad was seen as a key partner in the US-led War on Terror. Pakistan bought several batches of F-16 planes, built by Lockheed Martin Corp, from Washington before relations soured and the United States cut off subsidised sales in 2016.
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, representatives of the Indian Air Force, Army and Navy displayed to the media parts of what they called an air-to-air missile that can only be fired from F-16 jets.
A Pakistan military spokesman told reporters on Wednesday 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.
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