Bush seeks Congress nod to placate Pakistan with F-16s

Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON: Apparently to placate Pakistan which is sore over the nuclear deal with India, the Bush administration has approved the sale of 18 new F-16 fighter jets with an option of offering 18 more to Islamabad as part of a $5 billion weapons deal.

The administration has notified about the proposed sale to Congress which has 30 days to review the offer. Unless Congress passes a legislation to block the deal, it will go ahead.

The package sent to Congress include the approval of sale of 18 new fighter jets with an option for Pakistan to buy another 18. An offer to upgrade its existing fleet of 34 old model F-16s, manufactured by US aerospace company Lockheed Martin, was also part of the deal.

The notification coincides with the passage of a crucial bill by two Congressional panels seeking the implementation of Indo-US civilian nuclear deal, which stipulates the sharing of civilian nuclear technology and know-how with India.

"We formally notified to the Congress about our intent to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan," a senior US State Department official told PTI.

"This sale is part of a larger effort to broaden our strategic partnership with Pakistan and advance our national security and foreign policy interests in South Asia," the official said.

"Pakistan is a long-term partner and major non-NATO ally of the United States," he said.