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IndiaPosted at: Feb 13 2016 12:54PM


India summons US envoy, protests sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pak

New Delhi, Feb 13 (UNI) India today summoned US envoy Richard Verma to South Block to convey its strong protest against the decision of the Obama administration to sell upto eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, hours after Pentagon notified the deal. Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar called the US envoy to the External Affairs Ministry and conveyed India's displeasure over the sale of the fighters, ostensibly to counter terrorism. The meeting lasted for over 45 minutes, sources said. India clearly rejected the US' argument that the move will help improve Pakistan's self-defence capability and bolster its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. "We disagree with their rationale that such arms' transfers help combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself," said MEA spokesperson Vikas Swarup, in a strongly worded statement. "We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," he said. The sale has sparked anger in India at a time when Prime Minister Narendra Modi is like to visit America next month. The Pentagon's Defence Security Cooperation Agency, which oversees foreign arms sales, said it had notified the sale to Pakistan of up to eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp, radar and other equipment in a deal valued at 699 million dollars. The agency said the F-16s would allow Pakistan's Air Force to operate in all-weather environments and at night, while improving its self-defence capability and bolstering its ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counter-terrorism operations. There is a 30-day window for the lawmakers to block the sale. According to a Reuters report from Washington, Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman Bob Corker notified the Obama administration that he would not approve using US funds to pay for the planes through the foreign military financing (FMF) programme. That means Pakistan must fund the purchase itself, instead of relying on US funds to cover about 46 per cent of the cost. Given the funds it has, Pakistan may be able to buy only four of the F-16 Block 52 models, and the associated radar and electronic warfare equipment, the agency quoted one US source familiar with the situation as saying. UNI MK SB 1253
Tags: #India summons US envoy# protests sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pak
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