Congress notified on sale of F-16 equipment to Pakistan: State Dept

ISLAMABAD: US State Department spokesperson Ned Price has said that they recently notified 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 spokesperson further said Pakistan is an important partner in a number of regards, an important counterterrorism partner. And as part of our longstanding policy, we provide life cycle maintenance and sustainment packages for US-origin platforms.

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.

He further said that this is a fleet that allows Pakistan to support counterterrorism operations.Responding a question about flood situation and US aid for the affectees, Price said that US is deeply saddened by the devastation and the loss of life throughout Pakistan that these historic floods have caused and we stand with the people of Pakistan at this difficult time.

He further revealed that as of September 12th, earlier this week, a total of nine US Central Command flights delivered more than half of the 630 metric tons of relief supplies from USAID s Dubai warehouse for the response to these massive floods.

He vowed that US will to continue to work very closely with our Pakistani partners to continue to assess the damage that has been wrought by these floods, and we ll continue to provide assistance to our partners in this time of need.

The follow-on support for Pakistan s F-16 fleet according to reports would include participation in F-16 Aircraft Structural Integrity Programme, Electronic Combat International Security Assistance Programme, International Engine Management Programme, Engine Component Improvement Programme, and other technical coordination groups.

The support would also include aircraft and engine hardware and software modifications and support; aircraft and engine spare repair/return parts; accessories and support equipment; classified and unclassified software and software support; publications, manuals, and technical documentation; precision measurement, calibration, lab equipment, and technical support services; studies and surveys; and other related elements of aircraft maintenance and programme support.

India s Minister for Defence, Rajnath Singh on in Wednesday expressed his concern to US Secretary Defence Lloyd Austin, regarding Washington s latest decision to sell a sustenance package to Pakistan.

In a series of Tweets Rajnath Singh said: I have conveyed India s concern at the recent US decision to provide sustenance package for Pakistan s F-16 fleet .He said he had a warm and productive telephonic conversation with the US Secretary of Defence, Mr. Lloyd Austin. We discussed growing convergence of strategic interests and enhanced defence & security cooperation.