Pakistan reiterates India didn’t shoot down F-16 in Feb 2019

Pakistan on Tuesday rejected as “baseless” that a Pakistani F-16 aircraft was shot down by an Indian pilot during an aerial combat in February 2019.

Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman (now Group Captain) who shot down a Pakistani jet during an aerial combat before his MiG 21 Bison aircraft was hit on February 27, 2019, was conferred with the Vir Chakra award by President Ram Nath Kovind on Monday for displaying an “exceptional sense of duty” in the dogfight. Vir Chakra is India’s third-highest wartime gallantry award after Param Vir Chakra and Maha Vir Chakra.