Debunking Pakistan’s allegations, Taiwan asserted that it has not transferred any US-built missiles to India. The Pakistani media had alleged that the wreckage of the missile in possession with the Indian Armed Forces which was shot by Pakistani F-16s is actually a missile sold to them by Taiwan.
However, as per reports, Taiwan’s Air Force has confirmed that the identification numbers of missile used by the F-16 and ones owned by them did not match. The Air Force of Taiwan ran immediate checks and ascertained that the identification number of the missile reported by the Pakistan Daily did not match any of its missiles, and were not compatible with any of its weapons systems.
The Express Tribune had reported that the remains of a missile in possession of the Indian government could have come from a missile sold by the U.S. to Taiwan. The report also claimed to have tracked the identification numbers of missile AIM-120C-5 AMRAAM, to a U.S. Department of Defense list naming the missile as part of a USD 2.38-million arms deal with Taiwan. Their lies were soon busted.
Taiwan has rubbished the claims made by the Pakistan Daily and asserted that the kind of weapons and missiles supplied by the US were for its self-defense and not for sale to other countries.
Media reports from Taiwan have also reportedly stated that the contract number FA8675-05-C-0070 on the AMRAAM part which was presented on Thursday by the Joint Forces officials in India was of the sale of the aircraft to Pakistan by the United States.
The US has sought more information from Pakistan about the use of its fighter aircraft F-16s against India. The issue is of significant importance to the US as according to the end-user agreement signed between the US and Pakistan, F-16s can be used to destroy terror camps, not against other countries.
Pakistan is insistent on its claim that it had not used US-built F-16s in the dogfight with the IAF which resulted in the capture of Wing Commander Abhinandan Varthaman. The Indian government claims that the seizure of the remains of the air-to-air AMRAAM missile suggest otherwise as it is only carried by F-16s in Pakistan’s combat fleet.
