The Indian Air Force’s claim that Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman shot down a Pakistani F-16 fighter jet before being grounded and captured has come under the scanner as senior US defence officials told Foreign Policy that none of the F-16s were missing from Pakistan.

Foreign Policy reports: “One of the senior US defence officials with direct knowledge of the count said that Pakistan invited the United States to physically count its F-16 planes after the incident as part of an end-user agreement signed when the foreign military sale was finalized. Generally in such agreements, the United States requires the receiving country to allow U.S. officials to inspect the equipment regularly to ensure it is accounted for and protected.”

Due to the conflict between India and Pakistan, all the jets were not “immediately available” for inspection and hence it took this long to finish the inspection. But at the end, after the inspection was completed, “all aircraft were present and accounted for,” the official added.

On February 27, after the Pulwama attack and Balakot air-strike, Indian authorities had reported that Pakistani fighter jets had entered the Indian air-space. It was reported that Wing Commander Abhinandan had taken down one of those jets before his own aircraft was shot down and landed into Pakistani territory. He was taken prisoner and then released a day later.

In the scheme of events that unfolded, both the parties were blamed of spreading disinformation, while newsrooms were converted into war rooms. India had lost a jet and a helicopter of its own during the aerial battle.