The US’s State Department has approved a long overdue military deal with Pakistan, involving equipment for the aircraft at a cost of $450 million. Pakistan has multiple times approached US State Department to request this sustainment but the transfer was not approved due to different reasons, with false use for warfare being at the top of it. But finally, after multiple requests over the years and assurance from Pakistan’s side US Department of State has authorized the sale of F-16 fighter jet maintenance and other related equipment to Pakistan.
A press release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) claims that a potential sale of around $450 million dollars would be done by the Pakistani government and the DSCA has also approved this trade which will mainly include F-16 jets and equipment. The company that will act as a contractor for this trade between Pakistan and America will be Lockheed Martin Corp., which has been making American aerospace equipment since 1995.
The deal between US and Pakistan only involves the technical and logistical support for Pakistan providing a fleet of F-16s but new weapons, capabilities or ammunition will not be provided by America or Lockheed. It is obvious that America just wants money out of this deal and does not want any blood to its name if Pakistan uses this equipment for war in the future.
The DSCA revealed that the real purpose of the deal and trading of the fleet is to endorse America’s foreign policy and national security objectives by allowing Pakistan to maintain coordination with the US and work within and with other allies in order to remove terrorism from the region and eventually from all over the world.
The DSCA was confident in its press release that this deal will not create an imbalance of power in the region and it will only enhance the national security purposes of Pakistan while also benefiting the US-Pak relationships. It also included that this equipment can help Pakistan armies tremendously while fighting the terrorism units in the region and they will have any easy air-to-ground access to remote areas.
Read More: New 15,000km Submarine Cable Installed Between Pakistan and France
