We Don't Comment On Agreements, Communications: US State Department On Pak Misusing F-16

The US State Department on Thursday said it does not disclose the details of bilateral agreements which involve defence technologies and communications.

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Mohit Pandey
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We Don't Comment On Agreements, Communications: US State Department On Pak Misusing F-16

We do not publicly comment on the contents of bilateral agreements, said official. ( Photo Credit : Facebook/Imran Khan)

The US State Department on Thursday said it does not disclose the details of bilateral agreements which involve defence technologies and communications. This comes after a media report suggested that former Under Secretary of State for Arms Control and International Security Affairs, Andrea Thompson in a letter had reprimanded Pakistan Air chief Marshal Mujahid for misusing F-16 fighter aircraft.

"We do not publicly comment on the contents of bilateral agreements involving the United States technologies nor the communications we have about them," news agency ANI quotes a State Department spokesperson as saying.

The conversation between two officials had surfaced after India, in February this year, claimed that it shot down one F-16 jet during a dog fight with the Pakistan Air Force.

The letter, however, has no mentioning of the February’s incident but United States’ apprehension towards misuse is apparent for sure. On February 26, India launched airstrikes on terror camps in Pakistan.

One day later, on February 27, Islamabad responded with the violation of Indian airspace in the Rajouri sector of Jammu and Kashmir and dropped bombs when they were exiting, officials had said.

As per reports, an F-16 fighter of the Pakistan Air Force was shot down by the Indian Air Force and was seen falling in Lam area, about three kilometers inside Pakistan, officials said.

A parachute was also seen dropping along with the crashing fighter but the fate of its pilot was not known, reports ANI.

Thompson in his letter went on to warn Pakistan that its usage of F-16 jets risked their shared security and its action would have allowed these weapons to fall into the hands of malign actors and "could undermine our shared security platforms and infrastructures."

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