Pakistani pilots in Indian custody? PAF man reportedly caught alive from Jaisalmer
Screengrab from the video doing rounds in social media purpotedly showing a downing of a Pakistani jet | X
As tensions between India and Pakistan escalate, reports have emerged that two Pakistani pilots have been captured. The Pakistani Air Force men were reportedly captured from planes that were shot down in Jammu's Akhnoor and Rajasthan's Jaisalmer.
Neither Pakistan nor India have confirmed the reports. However, Tribune quoted a source that said that the pilot was captured after he ejected from the fighter jet, which crossed the Indian border.
If true, this will help India prove that Pakistani pilots breached the airspace. India has clarified that its fighter jets did not cross the border. Since both countries are technically not at war, the exchange of pilots will not be covered under the Geneva Convention, which lays down the treatment for prisoners of war (POWs).
The incident reminds India of the 2019 incident wherein Indian fighter pilot Abhinandan Varthaman was captured by Pakistan.
Meanwhile, there are reports that India shot down Pakistan's Airborne Warning and Control System (AWACS) aircraft inside Pakistan's Punjab province. Besides, an F-16 fighter jet and two JF-17 fighter jets too were allegedly downed on Thursday night. No confirmation has come from the Ministry of Defence yet. The AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) is used for long-range radar surveillance and command and control of air defence.
The Defence sources have also told ANI that two Pakistani drones were shot down by Indian Army Air Defence Units in Naushera sector of Jammu and Kashmir. This comes amid heavy exchange of artillery fire on between the two sides in the sector.
Pakistan denies reports
Pakistani state broadcaster PTV News has stated that the country has lost no aircraft. "Pakistan has not lost any pilot; lost any F-16 fighter jet; lost any AWACS (Airborne Warning and Control System) aeroplane; there is no report whatsoever of any attack on Lahore," the state claimed.
Pakistan Information Minister Attaullah Tarar has sought evidence from Indian government of the downing two Pakistan Air Force fighter jets and the capturing a pilot. "I am 100 per cent denying it. With fullest confidence at my command, I am denying it," the information minister said.
"Get out of [your] B-tier Bollywood mindset,” the information minister said in an interview on Geo News.
India