New Delhi: Pakistani Army denied India’s claims of downing its F-16 fighter jet during the aerial engagement a day after Balakot strikes,  and said one cannot hide if a plane is downed in today’s age. It added that even when a motorcycle crashes at this time, the world finds out, F-16 is much bigger a thing.

"We downed two Indian planes in the process, the whole world saw their debris and you [India] still claimed that one of the two planes was ours and one of our own pilots died, as we had initially said that two Indian pilots had been captured, and then said that there was only one. You [India] said that we have changed our statement because one pilot was our own," the Dawn quoted Pakistan military spokesman Major General Asif Ghafoor as saying.

"We got initial information through the proper channel, then on the ground, I personally found out that only one person had been captured and I sent out the correction myself. How is it that you are ready to accept one of our statement, not the other?" said Ghafoor addressing media persons in Rawalpindi.

"We have not retaliated because we want peace [...] we asked you [India] to ask America about our F-16s' strength. In this day and age, hiding the downing of a plane is impossible. In this time, even if a motorcycle crashes the world finds out," he added.

India has claimed that the IAF downed an Amercian made F-16 jet after Pakistan violated Indian air space a day after India’s preemptive strike on terror camp in Balakot, Pakistan.

Pakistan, however, has consistently denied the Indian Air Force's claim, saying none of its aircraft was shot down during the weeks of tensions between the two nuclear-armed countries.

Pakistan also claims to have shot a second Indian Air Force jet during the engagement, a claim India has dismissed entirely.

Tensions sparked between the two countries after Oakistan based terror group Jaish-e-Mohammed carried out terror attack in Kashmir's Pulwama killing 40 Indian CRPF personnel, an attack which was the severest one after the Uri attack.