Arms transfer: India’s reaction over F-16s sale ‘surprises’ Pakistan

FO spokesman points out New Delhi is world’s largest arms importer

ISLAMABAD: Pakistan dismissed on Sunday India’s objections to the Pentagon’s decision to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, describing New Delhi’s reaction as ‘surprising and disappointing’.

“We are surprised and disappointed at the Indian government’s reaction,” Foreign Office spokesperson Muhammad Nafees Zakaria said in a statement a day after India’s foreign secretary summoned the American ambassador in New Delhi to convey ‘displeasure’ over the proposed sale.

Zakaria hit back, pointing out that India is the largest importer of defence equipment in the world. “India’s military and arsenal are much larger than ours,” he said while defending Pakistan’s decision to acquire the warplanes.

The spokesperson added that Pakistan and the United States were closely cooperating with each other in countering terrorism. “A US spokesperson clearly announced that the sale is to enhance our precision strike capability,” he said.

Last week the Obama administration notified the US Congress of its decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets worth almost $700 million despite years of lobbying by India against the deal.

India’s Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar summoned the US ambassador in New Delhi, Richard Verma, on Saturday to convey his country’s ‘displeasure’ over Washington’s plan and insisted it did not agree Pakistan would use these state-of-the-art warplanes to only fight terrorists.

The spokesman for India’s external affairs ministry also took to Twitter to express disappointment over the move.

“We are disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan,” Vikas Swarup posted on the microblogging website. “We disagree with their [Washington’s] rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself.”

The Obama administration, however, has insisted that the F-16s are vital for Pakistan to effectively deal with militants.

The US is expected to cover at least 46% of the deal which is valued at $699 million.

Published in The Express Tribune, February 15^th,  2016.