US to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan: report

Blackwater

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WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is preparing to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in an attempt to bolster the two countries' relationship despite Washington's reservations about Pakistan's growing nuclear arsenal, said a report published on The New York Times (NYT) website.

The aircraft sales, which the United States (US) Congress could block, would be a symbolic step given Pakistan's current large fleet of fighter jets.

According to the NYT report, the Congress was notified just days ago about the proposed sale of the additional fighters although it is not clear if the White House plans to announce the sale of the aircraft during Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's ongoing visit to Washington.

The new fighter jets would add to Pakistan’s sizable force of fighter jets which includes more than 70 F-16s and dozens of French and Chinese attack aircraft, the report said.

Earlier in April, the US State Department approved Pakistan’s request for a billion dollars worth of military hardware and equipment, identifying Pakistan as a country of vital importance for US foreign policy and national interests.

In May this year, the US handed over to Pakistan over 14 combat aircraft, 59 military trainer jets and 374 armoured personnel carriers, Dawn newspaper had reported. The weapons supplied to Pakistan were earlier used by American forces in Afghanistan and Iraq.

The NYT report says that many in the US Congress are concerned that the F-16 jets are more useful to Pakistan in its long confrontation with India than for counterterrorism operations.

It is not certain whether the Congress will approve the deal. According to NYT, the Congress and the US State Department are already in a standoff over an effort to sell used Navy cutter vessels to Pakistan earlier this year.

In March, the US House Committee on Foreign Affairs put a hold on about $150 million in foreign military financing. The committee said the cutters were not essential to fighting militants, NYT quoted American officials as saying.

The decision of the sale of fighter jets comes ahead of Thursday's meeting between President Barack Obama and Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif.

Obama is expected to press Nawaz on the Taliban, nuclear safety and a range of other issues when the troubled allies meet at the White House.

Despite efforts to smooth divisions behind handshakes, smiles and items of agreement, long-standing security concerns are likely to dominate the Oval Office discussions.

Islamabad's alleged ties with the Afghan Taliban, its alleged support for groups opposed to India and the US and its rapidly growing nuclear arsenal are seen by Washington as security headaches.

Washington's relationship with Islamabad is a prickly one, born of a fraught inter-dependency but pollinated by mutual mistrust.

Relations were plunged into deep crisis when 9/11 mastermind Osama bin Laden was discovered to be living in the major Pakistani garrison city of Abbottabad.

"The bottom line is that there are a lot of deep disagreements between these two countries," said Michael Kugelman of the Woodrow Wilson Center.

The meeting of Nawaz and Obama comes as the White House increasingly shifts its focus in South Asia to Pakistan's rival India.

Afghan Taliban to table?
But Pakistan remains a key player in the region.

Obama recently announced that US troops would be staying in Afghanistan longer than he had promised, but the White House is keen to get the Afghan Taliban to the negotiating table.

The resurgent Islamists briefly captured the key northern Afghan city of Kunduz this month.

The US sees Pakistan as one of the few sources of influence over the extremists, and analysts say Washington will use the four-day trip to urge Nawaz to keep pushing for a new round of talks. Experts say new Afghan Taliban leader Akhtar Mansour has close ties to Pakistan.

Kabul has accused Islamabad of harbouring and nurturing Afghan Taliban insurgents — allowing them to launch attacks in Afghanistan before melting back across the border.

Obama recently previewed his meeting with Nawaz by saying: "I will continue to urge all parties in the region to press the Taliban to return to peace talks and to do their part in pursuit of the peace that Afghans deserve."

Furthermore, ahead of Nawaz's visit, there have been suggestions that cooperation and a possible deal could be reached on Pakistan's nuclear weapons.

During George W. Bush's presidency a deal was reached with India to normalise nuclear cooperation in return for safeguards.

But US officials have poured cold water on that suggestion.


http://www.dawn.com/news/1214815
 

Blackwater

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pakis playing double again y supporting taliban in Afghanistan and asking money and f-16 from amerika to counter them :biggrin2::biggrin2::biggrin2:
 

blue marlin

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and apparently they will be used against india apparently
:biggrin2::biggrin2:
OOHHH NOOO!!! pakistan and india are friend's:biggrin2::biggrin2:
what i found the funniest was when bush said the aim120-c5's were going to be used against "terrorists"
whats bushy on about?:biggrin2::biggrin2:

apparently i was wrong there are going to be block 60's

Source: janes
 

WolfPack86

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We should buy SU 35 fighters in 100 numbers to counter it. we must procure s 400 sam at asap. I don't know why US playing as double agent. Indian air force strength depleting rapidly. We must fix it . I hope Defence Minister will aware of problem.
 

Dark Sorrow

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We should buy SU 35 fighters in 100 numbers to counter it. we must procure s 400 sam at asap. I don't know why US playing as double agent. Indian air force strength depleting rapidly. We must fix it . I hope Defence Minister will aware of problem.
Why won't current MKI suffice for F-16 and what more Su-35 offer that MKI won't?
 

Yusuf

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Congress hasn't been notified for any F-16 sale to Pak. So not happening any time soon


Sent from my iPhone using Tapatalk
 

WolfPack86

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Yes you are right SU 30 Mki is self sufficient but what if Pakistan get SU 35 in 40- 100 nos. Then it will be trouble to us but we should check make Pakistan by asking Russia not to sell fighters. Well Pakistan financial aid from USA Pakistan also going get China 5th generation fighter. Russia is friend is indeed friend in need. Russia is our Stragetic partner. What we need economical fighters. Currently we have 220 SU 30mki we should increase to 400 in nos. We must buy Pak fa and FGFA.
 

WolfPack86

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We must rebuild our ties with Russia . We must procure S 400 missile quickly
 

Dark Sorrow

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Yes you are right SU 30 Mki is self sufficient but what if Pakistan get SU 35 in 40- 100 nos. Then it will be trouble to us but we should check make Pakistan by asking Russia not to sell fighters.
That something our diplomatic corps have to work something on. We just can't buy aircraft to deny Pakistani their availability. This way we will go bankrupt. What if Pakistani decide to get Rafale or EF-2000 tomorrow???
Well Pakistan financial aid from USA Pakistan also going get China 5th generation fighter.
China 5th generation fighter is still long way and Chinese are will not give their Crown to Pakistani just like Americas refused to sell F-22.
Russia is friend is indeed friend in need. Russia is our Stragetic partner. What we need economical fighters. Currently we have 220 SU 30mki we should increase to 400 in nos. We must buy Pak fa and FGFA.
Russia is a business man and treats us like a client and attempt to squeeze/milk us on every prospect they get.
Russia treats China better than it treats us.
 

BATTLE FIELD

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Yes you are right SU 30 Mki is self sufficient but what if Pakistan get SU 35 in 40- 100 nos. Then it will be trouble to us but we should check make Pakistan by asking Russia not to sell fighters. Well Pakistan financial aid from USA Pakistan also going get China 5th generation fighter. Russia is friend is indeed friend in need. Russia is our Stragetic partner. What we need economical fighters. Currently we have 220 SU 30mki we should increase to 400 in nos. We must buy Pak fa and FGFA.
they dont have money for fighter like that.they can only hope for donation or gifts.
buying is int their option
you think they can buy su-35 from russia:pound::rofl:

and just 8 jets dosent work for u.s
 

BATTLE FIELD

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PAF ka awkat srif 8 hi hain and that with 40% discount.
they will bankrupt if buyed more than 10 jets.
their options are as gifts and surplus from turkey, china and u.s

they use tempo and dreams of ferrari.

i suggest that use the money in education and health care in your country instead of begging with the big shiny bowl.
 

blue marlin

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Congress hasn't been notified for any F-16 sale to Pak. So not happening any time soon


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you have a point

Many in Congress fear that the F-16 jets are more useful to Pakistan in its long confrontation with India than for counterterrorism. It is unclear if Congress will approve the deal: Congress and the State Department are already in a standoff over an effort to sell used Navy cutter vessels to Pakistan earlier this year.
source: nyt

but do you think they will block the deal in risk to strain relations with pakistan?
 

Neo

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U.S. Set to Sell Fighter Jets to Pakistan, Balancing Pressure on Nawaz Sharif
By MATTHEW ROSENBERG and DAVID E. SANGEROCT. 21, 2015

WASHINGTON — The Obama administration is preparing to sell eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, senior American officials said, an overture intended to bolster a tenuous partnership despite persistent concerns about Islamabad’s ties to elements of the Taliban and quickly expanding nuclear arsenal.

The decision comes ahead of President Obama’s meeting on Thursday with Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, which is to be dominated by the president’s decision to extend the American troop presence in Afghanistan and a quiet effort to get Mr. Sharif to halt the deployment of a new generation of tactical nuclear weapons.

But Mr. Obama, like President George W. Bush before him, is trying to balance pressure on Pakistan with signs that Washington still considers it a vital ally. Congress was notified just days ago about the proposed sale of the additional fighters, although it is not clear if the White House plans to announce the sale of the aircraft during the visit.

The Federation of American Scientists, a leading American group that monitors the spread of nuclear weapons, published a report on Wednesday that shows that Pakistan has expanded its arsenal to 110 to 130 warheads, up from a range of 90 to 110 four years ago.

While those figures show a steady but expected increase, the group estimated that by 2025 the figure would rise to 220 to 250 warheads. That would make Pakistan the world’s fifth-largest nuclear power, behind the United States, Russia, China and France, but ahead of Britain, which is shrinking its arsenal.

It is the nature, not the size, of Pakistan’s nuclear arsenal that tops Mr. Obama’s agenda. Over the past two weeks, officials in Washington have said they are exploring whether a deal might be possible to halt the deployment of tactical nuclear weapons that American experts fear are vulnerable to being launched without authorization, or stolen, on the battlefield. Until earlier this week Pakistani officials had said nothing about the program, although the foreign secretary, Aizaz Chadhary, told reporters in Islamabad on Tuesday that the country had built “low-yield nuclear weapons” to counter India, according to the Dawn, a major daily newspaper in Pakistan.

It is unlikely that either side will talk publicly about nuclear weapons on Thursday, but Mr. Obama plans to raise the issue at length, according to administration officials. Selling Pakistan more arms, however, is an issue that is often discussed more publicly to signal that Pakistan is acting in its role as a “major non-NATO ally,” a designation Mr. Bush bestowed after the attacks of Sept. 11, 2001.

The new aircraft, whose sale could be blocked by Congress, would add to Pakistan’s already sizable force of fighter jets — it has more than 70 F-16s and dozens of French and Chinese attack aircraft. But perhaps of equal importance to supporters and critics alike is the symbolic value of the sale to an ally whose relationship with the United States has been marked by long stretches of acrimony in recent years.

Much of the tension has arisen from Pakistan’s ties to elements of the Taliban, especially the Haqqani Network, which is linked to Al Qaeda and is seen by American commanders as the most deadly faction of the Taliban fighting in Afghanistan. In recent years, numerous American officials have publicly and privately complained about the support to the Haqqanis provided by Pakistan’s main spy agency, the Directorate of Inter-Services Intelligence.

At the same time, many American officials have continued to insist that the best path forward with Pakistan is to work with its elected leaders and military commanders in hopes of convincing them to crack down on all militants, not just those who actively fight the government there. The Obama administration is also looking for Pakistan to help bring the Taliban to peace talks — an effort that the administration has pursued for years. As a result, officials are loath to antagonize Islamabad at a crucial moment in the war in Afghanistan.

The Afghan peace process appeared to be gaining momentum this summer with meetings between Afghan officials and Taliban representatives in Pakistan. But it was derailed by news that the Taliban’s elusive leader, Mullah Muhammad Omar, died about two years ago, and the insurgents have made significant gains in the months since. Late last month they seized a city for the first time since 2001, taking Kunduz, Afghanistan, and holding off Afghan forces for more than two weeks before pulling back.

Fearful that Afghan forces would be outmatched without American support, Mr. Obama announced last week that American troops would remain in Afghanistan through the end of his term. But after 2016, there would only be about 5,500 Americans left in Afghanistan, so the administration is eager to revive the peace process, which is expected to be on the agenda when Mr. Obama and Mr. Sharif meet on Thursday.

While Pakistan has gone after Qaeda operatives since 2001, and allowed the C.I.A. drone program to strike targets in the country’s tribal areas, it has also provided a safe haven for the Taliban and supported elements of the Afghan insurgency. Pakistan has also supported other militant groups fighting in Kashmir and targeting India.

Many in Congress fear that the F-16 jets are more useful to Pakistan in its long confrontation with India than for counterterrorism. It is unclear if Congress will approve the deal: Congress and the State Department are already in a standoff over an effort to sell used Navy cutter vessels to Pakistan earlier this year.

In March, the House Foreign Affairs Committee put a hold on about $150 million in foreign military financing — aid from the United States that foreign allies could use to purchase American weapons and other military equipment, said American officials, who spoke on the condition of anonymity because the issue has not yet been made public.

The committee said the cutters were not essential to fighting militants, the officials said. But in a letter sent in February to Secretary of State John Kerry, Representative Edward Royce of California, the committee’s chairman, and Representative Elliot L. Engel of New York, the ranking Democrat, outlined their broader concerns about Pakistan.

“We remain deeply concerned that Pakistan has failed to take meaningful action against key Islamist terrorist groups operating within its territory,” they wrote.

The letter urged the administration to change its approach to Pakistan, suspend some assistance and begin imposing travel restrictions and sanction officials thought to have ties to militants.

http://www.nytimes.com/2015/10/22/w...istan-in-bid-to-bolster-partnership.html?_r=0
 

Detective Pennington

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Wow Obama showing his Pro-Jihadist side again. US Should have stopped all foreign aid to Pakistan after Bin Laden was found in Abbottabad. In fact, after direct evidence was found that the ISI chief had knowledge of Bin Laden's wherabouts, they should have invaded.
 

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