The very reason I created
this thread was to see how people on either side of the border would take losses in any current/future Indo-Pak air war (or an skirmish for that matter). I wanted to discuss the political and psychological impact of such losses. The very fact that thread turned into a troll-fest and the later passionate replies I got from some members in other threads validates my point .
I won't comment on the Indian side but here it is what I have observed on the Pakistani side.
We Pakistanis (the general public) are not mentally prepared to accept the loss of an F-16, at least the first one.
Ever since it's introduction we have treated the F-16 like our guardian angel. A near invincible machine which we believe the enemy can't get any close too. Any aerial threat that dares enter our airspace will be blown out of the sky by the very weapons it carries.
The Indian government knows this mentality of the Pakistani people and thanks to wikileaks so does the rest of the world. If they are lying about shooting down any of our jets then they could have chosen any aircraft in our fleet. Even the JF-17 would have been a good choice, yet they chose the F-16. We all know how the unease most of us felt when the Indians were posting here and there about the downing of an F-16. We only breathed a sigh of relief when we realized that their claims are largely bogus. They also know that until the PAF provides conclusive proof discrediting the downing (and the PAF is actually looking into this), preferably from a foreign source they have dealt a severe psychological blow to the average joe in Pakistan, without actually hitting anything. At the same time they have provided enough ammunition to India's keyboard warriors to spread disinformation around the world regarding the incident.
F-16 like any other weapon in our arsenal is a 'tool'. It can be destroyed/lost during war and peace. We need to stop "worshipping" the tools of war. Whenever we purchase/acquire any weapon of war we should be prepared to accept the unfortunate eventuality that a cunning enemy can take it out unless we give the enemy a chance because of our criminal negligence. Then yes we should direct our anger towards those responsible for the mishap.
If we are unwilling to lose a tool of war to enemy action then we might as well turn it into a decoration piece