NEW DELHI: Amid high tensions between India and Pakistan, a Pakistani F-16 pilot is reported to have been taken into custody after an Indian Surface-to-Air Missile (SAM) system shot down the fighter jet, which had taken off from Pakistan's Sargodha Air Base.
There are unconfirmed reports of the downing of Pakistan’s JF-17—a fourth-generation, lightweight, single-engine, multirole combat aircraft amid the ongoing ‘Operation Sindoor’ by the Indian armed forces in response to the Pahalgam terrorist attack, which claimed the lives of 26 tourists, including a Nepalese citizen.
Meanwhile, a Chinese-made PL-15 active radar-guided air-to-air (AAM) long-range missile was recovered in Hoshiarpur, Punjab. The missile is believed to have been fired from a JF-17.
The downing of Pakistan’s fighter jets comes amid a barrage of drone and missile attacks launched from Pakistan, which targeted military bases in Jammu, Pathankot, and Udhampur—areas in close proximity to the International Border (IB) in Jammu and Kashmir (J&K).
“The threats were swiftly neutralized by the Indian armed forces using kinetic and non-kinetic capabilities in line with established standard operating procedures (SOPs).
No casualties or material losses were reported. India remains fully prepared to defend its sovereignty and ensure the safety of its people,” stated an official release from the Headquarters Integrated Defence Staff (HQ IDS) and Ministry of Defence (MoD) on Thursday.
India struck and dismantled nine terror camps in Pakistan and Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) at midnight on May 7 under ‘Operation Sindoor.’ India’s response to Pakistan’s misadventure has been measured and appropriate.