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NEW DELHI: India downed five Pakistani fighter jets of the F-16 and JF-17 class during the intense fighting between the nuclear-armed neighbors in May, Indian Air Force Chief Amar Preet Singh said on Friday.

Although Singh had previously said that five Pakistani fighter jets and another military aircraft were shot down during the conflict, this is the first time New Delhi has mentioned the class of jets in public.

“As far as air defense part is concerned, we have evidence of one long range strike...along with that five fighters, high-tech fighters between F-16 and JF-17 class, our system tells us,” Singh told reporters at the Indian Air Force annual day press conference.

The F-16 is a US-made fighter jet while the JF-17 is of Chinese origin.

Pakistan’s military did not immediately respond to a Reuters request for comment.

Pakistan has said it shot down six Indian fighter jets during the conflict, including the French-made Rafale. India has acknowledged some losses but denied losing six aircraft.

On Friday, Singh declined to respond to questions on Pakistan’s claim of downing Indian jets.

The May fighting, the worst between the old foes in decades, was sparked by an attack on tourists in Indian-administered Kashmir, which New Delhi said was backed by Pakistan.

Both sides used fighter jets, missiles, artillery and drones during the four-day conflict, killing dozens of people, before agreeing to a ceasefire.

Islamabad denied involvement in the Kashmir attack, which killed 26 men and was the worst assault on civilians in India since the Mumbai attacks in 2008.

India said in July that three “terrorists” involved in the attack had been killed, and there was “lot of proof” that they were Pakistanis.

Pakistan’s foreign ministry had questioned the credibility of India’s account of the events, saying it was “replete with fabrications.”

Ties between the countries, which have fought two of their three wars over the Himalayan region of Kashmir, have been downgraded since the attack, with the impact being felt in areas ranging from trade and travel to sports.

India has also kept in abeyance a key water-sharing treaty — a move Pakistan termed an “act of war.”

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan and ����ֱ�� plan to forge a partnership in the fields of artificial intelligence (AI) and cybersecurity, Pakistani state media reported on Friday.

The report came after Pakistani IT and Telecommunication Minister Shaza Fatima Khawaja’s meeting with President of Saudi Data and Artificial Intelligence Authority (DAIA) Dr. Abdullah bin Sharaf Al-Ghamdi in Riyadh.

The two figures discussed promoting enhanced bilateral cooperation under the framework of Saudi Vision 2030 and Pakistan’s National AI Policy 2025, the state-run Radio Pakistan broadcaster reported.

“The parties discussed leveraging ����ֱ��’s ‘One Million Saudis in AI’ model to build capacity in artificial intelligence and emphasized mutual cooperation in the goal of training one million AI professionals in Pakistan,” the broadcaster reported.

����ֱ�� is consolidating its economy on modern lines under the Vision 2030, which is a strategic development framework intended to cut the Kingdom’s reliance on oil. It is aimed at developing public service sectors in the Kingdom such as health, education, infrastructure, information technology (IT), recreation and tourism.

In July, Pakistan’s federal cabinet approved the National AI Policy 2025 to democratize artificial intelligence, aiming to enhance public services and generate employment opportunities for the youth.

The national policy also aims to create 50,000 AI-driven civic projects and 1,000 local AI products in the next five years, according to Pakistani state media. The government intends to make the use of AI inclusive through the distribution of 3,000 annual AI scholarships and facilitate 1,000 research projects, the state media said.

Pakistan and ����ֱ�� have close religious, cultural, diplomatic and strategic ties, particularly in trade and defense. The Kingdom is home to over two million Pakistani expatriates, who are the largest source of remittances to the South Asian country.

Prior to her meeting with the DAIA chief, Khawaja represented Pakistan at the Global Cybersecurity Forum 2025 in Riyadh. The initiative seeks to strengthen global cyber resilience by advancing international collaboration, purposeful dialogue and impactful initiatives.

“She emphasized Pakistan’s vision for secure digital transformation, cyber capacity building, and international tech cooperation,” Radio Pakistan reported.