Pakistan today (February 27, 2019) claimed that it has shot down two aircraft of the Indian Air Force and captured one pilot named Abhinandan.
A video shared by Pakistan is going viral on various social media channels showing a blindfolded person wearing a flight suit. In the video, the man is saying that he is a Wing Commander Abhinandan and gives out his service number but denies to answer any further questions.
The video was released after a press conference held by spokesperson of the Pakistan armed forces Major General Asif Ghafoor.
In the press conference, Ghafoor claimed that Pakistan Air Force shot down two Indian Air Force planes, one of the planes fell in Pakistani territory while the other fell in the Indian side.
Amid reports of one Indian pilot being captured by the Pakistani security forces along the Line of Control, the Ministry of External Affairs confirmed that one pilot of the Indian Air Force is missing in action.
Addressing a press conference, MEA spokesperson Raveesh Kumar confirmed there was an air to air engagement between the Indian and Pakistani air forces early today.
Kumar said that “India had informed about Counter Terrorism (CT) action it took yesterday against a training camp of Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM) in Pakistan based on credible evidence that JeM intended to launch more attacks. Against this Counter Terrorism Action, Pakistan has responded this morning by using its Air Force to target military installations on the Indian side. Due to our high state of readiness and alertness, Pak’s attempts were foiled successfully.”
“The Pakistan Air Force was detected and the Indian Air Force responded instantly. In that aerial engagement, one Pakistan Air Force fighter aircraft was shot down by a MiG 21 Bison of the Indian Air Force,” Kumar said.
“The Pakistani aircraft was seen by ground forces falling from the sky on Pak side. In this engagement, we have unfortunately lost one MiG 21. The pilot is missing in action. Pakistan has claimed that he is in their custody. We are ascertaining the facts,” added the spokesperson.
Pakistan has not yet informed India about the missing Indian pilot through official channels, sources have told The Indian Express.
Disclaimer: LawStreet Journal is not in support to visualize the video shared by Pakistan media.
