US F-16 sale to Pakistan |
Despite objections from India and some US lawmakers, the Obama administration has defended its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. They claim to support the proposed sale of eight F-16s to Pakistan to assist Pakistan`s counterterrorism and counterinsurgency operations. Pakistan`s current F-16s have proven critical to the success of these operations to date. The Pakistan Embassy in Washington appreciated the Obama administration`s determination to go ahead with the proposed sale.The US government announced on February 12 that it had approved the sale to Pakistan of up to eight additional F-16 fighter jets, as well as radars and other equipment, in a deal valued at $699 million.India and some US lawmakers have objected to this sale, saying that the F-16s have not been useful in such operations and would ultimately be used against India. India had said that it disagreed with the US`s rationale that the supply of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan will help combat terrorism but at the same time it had noted that its ties with Washington were not a single-issue relationship. At least two US senators have announced they intend to try and stop the sale despite the administration having vetted the deal with backdoor approvals.
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