Islamabad: Pakistan on Sunday expressed surprise and disappointment over India’s outcry against US decision to sell to Pakistan eight new F-16 fighter jets.
“We are surprised and disappointed at the Indian Government’s reaction,” said the spokesperson of the Foreign Office in a statement.
“Their (Indian) army and arsenal stock is much larger and they are the largest importer of defence equipment,” the statement said.
“As regards F-16 sale, Pakistan and the United States closely cooperate in countering terrorism. The US clearly announced that the sale is to enhance (Pakistan’s) precision strike capability,” the Foreign Office said.
On Saturday the Indian government summoned the US envoy in New Delhi regarding the sale of the aircraft to Pakistan.
According to reports, Indian Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar met the US ambassador and conveyed India’s disapproval of the deal.
The $699 million proposed deal, which the US administration has notified to the Congress, consists of eight Lockheed Martin F-16 fighter jets, along with training, radar and other equipment.
It will go through a 30-day notification period after which it will be finalised.
The new aircraft will add to Pakistan’s existing force of fighter jets which includes more than 70F-16s and dozens of French and Chinese attack aircraft.
Washington has said it is in US security interests to support Pakistan’s counter-terrorism efforts,
The F-16 aircraft will allow the Pakistan Air Force to operate in all kinds of weather, at night, as well as “enhance Pakistan’s ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations, the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which coordinates foreign arms sales, has said.
In January Pakistani Defence Minister Khawaja Asif had told the National Assembly that an Indian lobby, as well as Pakistan’s former ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani were lobbying against the sale of the fighter jets.
Air strikes have been regularly carried out in the ongoing Pakistan military operation against terrorist hideouts in mountainous tribal region bordering Afghanistan.
According to the military over 3,000 terrorists have been killed since the launch of the Zarb-e-Azb operation in June 2014. The operation is now said to be in its final phase.
