Washington: The United States government has declined to share with India information on the use of F-16 fighter jets by the Pakistan Air Force during a recent dogfight, a media report said .
“Soon after we were informed by the Indian side about Pakistan using F-16 aircraft on Feb 27, we informed the Indians that we will not be sharing any information on the subject as it is a bilateral matter between the US and Pakistan,” a US official was quoted as saying by English daily ” Indian Express”.
The official said that India understood the US position, which was not India or Pakistan-specific. “If a third country tomorrow wants information about the C130 or C17 or Apaches that the IAF uses, our answer would be the same. It is a bilateral matter between India and the US,” the official added.
The Indian Air Force had complained to the Pentagon in March that Pakistan had violated the end-user agreement on F-16 by using the jets for offensive against India. The IAF also displayed parts of an AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile to prove its claim that Pakistan deployed US-made F-16 fighter jets during the February 27 dogfight with its planes.
