Hours after a Pakistani F-16 jet crossed the Line of Control and was engaged by Mig-21 Bison aircraft of the Indian Air Force, Pakistan Prime Minister Imran Khan has called for dialogue with India.
In his televised statement, Imran Khan stated that “If this (situation) escalates, it will no longer be in my control or in (Prime Minister) Narendra Modi’s. We invite you for dialogue, better sense must prevail.”
He further stated that “When India launched action, we did not respond then because we wanted to fully review the situation on the ground. We launched a strike because we just wanted to send a message that Pakistan is a sovereign country and can enter India.”
“I ask India with the weapons you have and the weapons we have, can we really afford such a miscalculation? If this escalates, things will no longer be in my control or in Prime Minister Narendra Modi’s,” he added.
This came after an aerial engagement between the Indian Air Force (IAF) and the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in which New Delhi said it shot down a Pakistan fighter jet but lost one of its MiG-21s, with its pilot reportedly in Pakistan’s custody.