PAF shoots down health secretary's 'US controlling Jacobabad air base' claims

Islamabad, Aug.20 (ANI): Confusion prevails over who actually controls the Shahbaz airbase in Jacobabad, as the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) has rebuked the senate standing committee on health secretary's statement that the airbase is under the US' command.

A statement issued by the PAF rejected the committee's claims, saying such reports were untrue.

"Certain sections of the print and electronic media have wrongly reported that the PAF Base Shahbaz (Jacobabad) is under the control of the US. This has been spread by uninformed people," the statement said.

The PAF also organised a media tour of the airbase to prove its point.

Interacting with media persons during the hurriedly organised tour, Air Vice Marshal Arshad Quddus of the Southern Air Command asked reporters to see for themselves whether the airbase houses any American drones or aircrafts.

"The Shahbaz Airbase is under complete operational control of the PAF. If you see any American let me know.... seeing is believing... there are no drones and no Americans," The Dawn quoted Quddus, as saying.

Quddus, however, said that some Americans were present at the airbase to provide technical assistance to the air force which had recently acquired the upgraded F-16 fighter jets from Washington.

He pointed out that health secretary Khusnood Lashari's statement was out of context.

"I don't know why a senior federal health ministry official commented over the airbase... I think he is not aware," Quddus said. (ANI)