BJP's bid to win polls through false claims of downing F-16 backfired: PM
- By Web Desk -
- Apr 06, 2019
ISLAMABAD: Prime Minister Imran Khan on Saturday remarked that attempts of the Indian ruling party, Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP), to win general elections have backfired.
In a statement on Twitter, PM Khan quoted the scoop of a US magazine that debunked Indian claims of shooting down a Pakistani F-16 on Feb 27. He wrote, “The truth always prevails and is always the best policy.”
The premier said: “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.”
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.
— Imran Khan (@ImranKhanPTI) April 6, 2019
A leading US magazine, Foreign Policy, rubbished all Indian claims quoting two senior US defense officials who had the direct knowledge of the situation, in its exclusive story published on April 4, 2019.
Read More: Time for India to speak truth about dogfight with PAF: DG ISPR
The defense officials told the magazine that the US personnel recently counted F-16s in Pakistan and found none of them missing.
The magazine said, India has once again misled the world through baseless and false claims.
The findings directly contradict the account of Indian Air Force officials, which claimed shooting down a Pakistani F-16 in a recent dogfight.
One of the senior US defense officials maintained that Pakistan invited the United States to physically count its F-16 planes after the incident, as a part of an end-user agreement signed when the foreign military sale was finalized about the fighter jet.