HOW COULD PAKISTANIS INSTRUCT SRILANKA FLY ISRAELI MADE KFIR JETS WHEN THEY HAVE NEVER TOUCHED ONE SAYS MILITARY DENYING ââ¬ÅLTTE PROPAGANDAââ¬Â
By Walter Jayawardhana
Sri Lankaââ¬â¢s Ministry of Defense officials totally denied as an utter fabrication a news item distributed by the Tamil Eelam News Service that a group of Pakistani Air force officers have been guiding the Sri Lankan military in ââ¬Åcarrying out air mounted operations against the LTTE.ââ¬Â
The Ministry of Defense officials said there isnââ¬â¢t a single Pakistani military instructor serving in Sri Lanka.
How could Pakistani officers guide a fleet of Sri Lanka Air Force owned Israeli made Kfir jets when they have never touched one said Defense Ministry officials when asked to comment on the widely distributed LTTE news item.
Probably the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam terrorists want to play the Pakistan card for some ulterior purpose, the ministry officials said.
They said the news writer who fabricated the news does not know even the fundamentals of flying military aircraft since Pakistan had an entirely different kind of aircraft from the Sri Lankan military air fleet.
Pakistan air force consists of US-made military airplanes like F-16ââ¬â¢s and Sri Lanka does not have a single US made military aircraft, an official said.
Sri Lanka fleet consists of Israeli made Kfir jets with which Pakistan Air Force does not have any experience at all. ââ¬ÅHow could the Pakistanis,ââ¬Â asked a high official in the Ministry of Defense, ââ¬Åinstruct us how to fly a kind of aircraft they do not know anything about and fight the enemy?ââ¬Â
The officer said that the other kind of military jets Sri Lanka owns are Russian made Migs and Pakistan does not have them either.
The only other neighboring country which is having the Migs is India, he said.
ââ¬ÅPilots need expert knowledge of flying each kind of military aircraft and the news writer who fabricated the item does not know even the fundamentals of flying military aircraft,ââ¬Â the high official said.
The official also added there isnââ¬â¢t a single Pakistani instructor serving the Sri Lankan military including the air force at present.
He said traditionally Sri Lanka has been buying military equipment for the last two decades from three neighboring countries namely India, Pakistan and China. He said there was no significant increase of buying from any one country recently.
The LTTE controlled news service quoting a Chennai based one Mr. B. Raman said a group of Pakistani Air Force officers have been guiding the Sri Lankan military in carrying out air mounted operations. The news service quoted Raman, no expert on military aircraft or flying as saying the Pakistanis have been involved in drawing up air strikes with bunker buster bombs to kill Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Analysts in Colombo said this could rather be taken as a phobia of the LTTE hierarchy in Kilinochchi rather than a military plan of Pakistan. Apart from having no knowledge of our aircraft Pakistanis would not have any knowledge of our terrain too, they said.
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items06/270806-8.html
By Walter Jayawardhana
Sri Lankaââ¬â¢s Ministry of Defense officials totally denied as an utter fabrication a news item distributed by the Tamil Eelam News Service that a group of Pakistani Air force officers have been guiding the Sri Lankan military in ââ¬Åcarrying out air mounted operations against the LTTE.ââ¬Â
The Ministry of Defense officials said there isnââ¬â¢t a single Pakistani military instructor serving in Sri Lanka.
How could Pakistani officers guide a fleet of Sri Lanka Air Force owned Israeli made Kfir jets when they have never touched one said Defense Ministry officials when asked to comment on the widely distributed LTTE news item.
Probably the Liberation Tigers of Tamil Eelam terrorists want to play the Pakistan card for some ulterior purpose, the ministry officials said.
They said the news writer who fabricated the news does not know even the fundamentals of flying military aircraft since Pakistan had an entirely different kind of aircraft from the Sri Lankan military air fleet.
Pakistan air force consists of US-made military airplanes like F-16ââ¬â¢s and Sri Lanka does not have a single US made military aircraft, an official said.
Sri Lanka fleet consists of Israeli made Kfir jets with which Pakistan Air Force does not have any experience at all. ââ¬ÅHow could the Pakistanis,ââ¬Â asked a high official in the Ministry of Defense, ââ¬Åinstruct us how to fly a kind of aircraft they do not know anything about and fight the enemy?ââ¬Â
The officer said that the other kind of military jets Sri Lanka owns are Russian made Migs and Pakistan does not have them either.
The only other neighboring country which is having the Migs is India, he said.
ââ¬ÅPilots need expert knowledge of flying each kind of military aircraft and the news writer who fabricated the item does not know even the fundamentals of flying military aircraft,ââ¬Â the high official said.
The official also added there isnââ¬â¢t a single Pakistani instructor serving the Sri Lankan military including the air force at present.
He said traditionally Sri Lanka has been buying military equipment for the last two decades from three neighboring countries namely India, Pakistan and China. He said there was no significant increase of buying from any one country recently.
The LTTE controlled news service quoting a Chennai based one Mr. B. Raman said a group of Pakistani Air Force officers have been guiding the Sri Lankan military in carrying out air mounted operations. The news service quoted Raman, no expert on military aircraft or flying as saying the Pakistanis have been involved in drawing up air strikes with bunker buster bombs to kill Velupillai Prabhakaran.
Analysts in Colombo said this could rather be taken as a phobia of the LTTE hierarchy in Kilinochchi rather than a military plan of Pakistan. Apart from having no knowledge of our aircraft Pakistanis would not have any knowledge of our terrain too, they said.
http://www.lankaweb.com/news/items06/270806-8.html
