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US removes subsidies from F-16 deal with Pakistan

Iran Press TV

Tue May 3, 2016 6:35AM

The United States has backed away from financing Pakistan's purchase of US F-16 fighter jets, saying Islamabad needs to pay for the warplanes itself following objections by members of the US Congress.

US State Department spokesman John Kirby made the announcement on Monday, saying strong congressional opposition to the deal means Washington has no authority to subsidize it.

"Given congressional objections, we have told the Pakistanis that they should put forward national funds for that purpose," he told a regular news briefing.

However, he said the State Department is against putting conditions on the use of such funds and said effective engagement with Pakistan was "critical" to promoting democracy and economic stability in the country.

In February, the US announced a $699 million contract with Pakistan that included the sale of up to eight Lockheed Martin F-16s, as well as radar and other equipment.

However, the deal hit a roadblock in the US Senate after Republican Senator Bob Corker said he would use his power as chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee to bar Washington from financing the deal by using US funds.

Corker said at the time that he sought to send a message to Pakistan over its "duplicity" in the war against the Taliban terrorist group.

Corker said removing the subsidy would provide Pakistan with two choices; either opt for Russian or French alternatives to the jets or stay on America's side for maintenance of the aircraft over their 30-year lifespan.

Other lawmakers such as Republican Senator Rand Paul also tried to halt the sale, citing Pakistan's human rights record and intelligence community's support of the Afghan Taliban.

"They take our money, take our arms and laugh in our face," Paul said, later dubbing Pakistan as "a frenemy – part friend and a lot enemy."

Pakistan speaks up

The announcement came shortly after Syed Tariq Fatemi, special assistant on foreign affairs to Pakistani Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, hosted a meeting with professional staffers from the US House of Representatives Foreign Affairs Committee in the Pakistani capital Islamabad.

In the meeting, Fatemi complained that there was a "lack of sufficient appreciation for Pakistan's whole-hearted efforts it was undertaking jointly with the US administration, in countering the threat posed by terrorism."