This is a note of clarification, regarding the issue of pilot(s), pertaining to IAF and PAF conflict, on February 27.
According to the today's press briefing of DG(ISPR), their never was a second pilot, in the custody of Pakistan. It was a case of double reporting/counting, in the fog of the war. I am very clear that this is exactly the stance, which our DG(ISPR) has been maintaining, since his tweet (27.02.2019), made a few hours after the press briefing, on the same day.
On this issue, the timeline of DG(ISPR) communications, on 27.02.2019, is as follows:
1) Tweet # 1: 1 pilot captured & 2 in hiding
2) Press briefing: 2 pilots in custody (with 1 of them in CMH)
3) Tweet # 2: Only 1 pilot in custody
On March 5, DG(ISPR) gave an interview to Kamran Khan (Dunya News). In this interview, his exact words are:
"Un kay do tayyaray maar giraye. Aik pilot ki death hui. Aik hamari arrest main tha, jiss ko release ker diya."
(Shot their two aircraft. One pilot died. One was arrested by us, which was released.)
In this program, he never said any pilot died in our custody. It implies his assumption that the pilot of the second aircraft, which fell in IOK, died on board.
