The Biden administration has ignored the “strong objections” raised by India over the proposed foreign military sale of $450 million to Pakistan to sustain the Pakistan Air Force’s F-16 programme and notified Congress in this regard.
Last week, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) delivered the required certification of this possible sale, angering India who raised the matter during meetings with US official Donald Lu in New Delhi, according to a report by The Hindu.
The publication stated that the Indian Ministry of External Affairs “protested” against the sale of spares of the jet to Pakistan despite the DSCA’s clarification that “the proposed sale does not include any new capabilities, weapons, or munitions” and it “will not alter the basic military balance in the region”.
While responding to a question in this regard, US State Department Spokesperson Ned Price said, “well, we did recently notify Congress of a proposed foreign military sale valued at $450 million for maintenance and sustainment services for the Pakistani Air Force’s F-16 programme.”
The US official stressed that Pakistan is an important partner in a number of regards and an important counterterrorism partner.
“And as part of our longstanding policy, we provide life cycle maintenance and sustainment packages for US-origin platforms,” he said.
“Pakistan’s F-16 programme, it's an important part of the broader US-Pakistan bilateral relationship, and this proposed sale will sustain Pakistan’s capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats by maintaining the F-16 fleet. This is a fleet that allows Pakistan to support counterterrorism operations, and we expect Pakistan will take sustained action against all terrorist groups.”
