JF-17 Thunder used to shoot down Indian warplanes: DG ISPR

RAWALPINDI: Director General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) Major General Asif Ghafoor has revealed that Pakistan used PAC JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft to shoot down Indian fighter jets violating airspace.

The spokesman of Pakistan Armed Forces, in an interview, said that  "All our fighter jets were airborne during dogfight with Indian planes, adding that PAC JF-17 Thunder combat aircraft - developed jointly with China -  were used to dawn Indian aircraft.

He rejected India's claims that Pakistan used US-made F-16 to hit  Indian warplanes.

 Tensions between two neighbouring countries escalated last month, when the Indian jets violated the Pakistani airspace on February 26, dropping payloads without inflicting any casualties or damage to infrastructure. Pakistan then decided to retaliate, and  shot down two Indian warplanes.

Pakistan has  ruled out the possibility of using its nuclear weapons and sees them as more of deterrence tool to prevent actual wars.