US replies to India on selling F-16s to Pakistan

September 27, 2022 15:36

India and Pakistan are both partners of the US with different points of emphasis, the Biden administration has said, a day after visiting External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar questioned the rationale behind Washington's USD 450 million F-16 security assistance to Islamabad.

Referring to the argument made by the US that F-16 sustenance package is to fight terrorism,

Jaishankar has said that everybody knows where and against whom F-16 fighter jets are used.

"You're not fooling anybody by saying these things," he said in response to a question during an interaction with the Indian-American community here on Sunday. "We don't view our relationship with Pakistan, and on the other hand, we don't view our relationship with India as in relation to one another. These are both partners of ours with different points of emphasis in each," State Department Spokesperson Ned Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Monday in response to a question on Jaishankar's remarks.

"We look to both as partners, because we do have in many cases shared values. We do have in many cases shared interests. And the relationship we have with India stands on its own. The relationship we have with Pakistan stands on its own," he said.

Early this month, the Biden administration approved a USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan, reversing the decision of the previous Trump administration to suspend military aid to Islamabad for providing safe havens for the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

"We also want to do everything we can to see to it that these neighbours have relations with one another that are as constructive as can be possible. So that's another point of emphasis," Price said in response to a question. -- PTI

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