PhotoNews
  • Home
  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Azad Jammu Kashmir
    • Balochistan
    • Gilgit – Baltistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Videos
    Shark Attack Video
    Videos

    Viral Video: A female diver survives shark attack

    March 20, 2023 2 Min Read
    The Daily Show, Bilawal Bhutto Zardari's full interview
    Videos

    Bilawal Bhutto Zardari full Interview on ‘The Daily Show”

    March 15, 2023 1 Min Read
    Videos

    Miley Cyrus ‘River’: Full lyrics of the song

    March 11, 2023 3 Min Read
  • Sports
  • Offbeat
  • Blog
  • Contact
Reading: US willing to sell 8 F-16 fighter/bomber jets to Pakistan
PhotoNewsPhotoNews
Aa
Search
  • Home
  • Pakistan
    • Punjab
    • Sindh
    • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
    • Balochistan
    • Azad Jammu Kashmir
    • Gilgit – Baltistan
  • World
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Videos
  • Sports
  • Offbeat
  • Blog
  • Contact
Have an existing account? Sign In
Follow US
© 2022 Photonews. All Rights Reserved.
PhotoNews > Top News > US willing to sell 8 F-16 fighter/bomber jets to Pakistan
Top News

US willing to sell 8 F-16 fighter/bomber jets to Pakistan

Last updated: 2015/10/22 at 1:13 PM
8 Min Read
Share
SHARE

The US govt. is willing to sell eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, senior American officials stated.

The overture is intended to bolster a tenuous partnership despite persistent concerns about Islamabad’s ties to elements of the Afghan 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 PM Nawaz to halt the deployment of a new generation of tactical nuclear weapons.

But 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 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 authorisation, 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 a local newspaper in Pakistan.

It is unlikely that either side will talk publicly about nuclear weapons on Thursday, but 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 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, 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 Obama and PM Nawaz meet on Thursday.

While Pakistan has gone after Qaeda operatives since 2001, and allowed the CIA. 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 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.

TAGGED: Pak­istan
admin October 22, 2015
Share this Article
Facebook Twitter Pinterest Whatsapp Whatsapp LinkedIn Email Copy Link Print
Leave a comment

Leave a Reply Cancel reply

Your email address will not be published. Required fields are marked *

Recent Posts

Pkaistan Inflation in Ramadan, Inflation in Pakistan in Ramadan

Pakistan braces for most difficult Ramadan amid hyperinflation

Pakistan Supreme Court Bar Association

SCBA rejects the Punjab elections’ postponement

Pakistan IMF Program Update

IMF dismisses ECP funds blockage claims

Manchester United

Battle to buy Man Utd heats up

Rahul Gandhi Defamation Case

Rahul Gandhi found guilty of defamation over Modi remark

Stormy Daniels Pron Star

Stormy Daniels, a porn star who may imprison Donald Trump

Post Archives

More Popular from Photonews

Pepper Sprays Review
Blog

Pepper Sprays: A Review

13 Min Read
Karachi's Crime Rate
Blog

Guns: Why we need them more then ever before

5 Min Read
Pakistan's Nuclear Weapons, Pakistan's Nuclear, IMF Conditions
BusinessPakistan

IMF rejects Ishaq Dar’s claims link loan program with Pakistan’s nuclear weapons

2 Min Read
PunjabTop News

Imran Khan’s arrest: Police seize Zaman Park gate during PTI brawl.

An Islamabad Police party with armored vehicles with the support of Punjab police arrived at the…

March 14, 2023
Videos

Watch KAROL G, Shakira’s new song TQG’s official video

After a month of BZRP Music Sessions #53 on YouTube, Shakira returns with another post-breakup banger,…

March 1, 2023
Entertainment

Victoria’s Secret announces iconic fashion show after 4 years, but with a new version

The Victoria's Secret Fashion Show will return after a four-year absence, and the 2023 Victoria's Secret…

March 7, 2023
Videos

Watch the official trailer of MH370: The Plane That Disappeared

On March 8, 2014, Malaysia Airlines Flight 370 vanished from the radar, sparking the greatest mystery…

February 26, 2023
PhotoNews

Always Stay Up to Date

Subscribe to our newsletter to get our newest articles instantly!

Categories

  • World
  • Pakistan
  • Punjab
  • Sindh
  • Khyber Pakhtunkhwa
  • Balochistan
  • Azad Jammu Kashmir

 

  • Top News
  • Business
  • Entertainment
  • Sports
  • Videos
  • Tech
  • Offbeat
  • Blog

© 2023 Phototnews
All Rights Reserved.

Welcome Back!

Sign in to your account

Lost your password?