Pakistan will acquire F-16s from elsewhere if the United States (US) does not arrange funding for the sale, Sartaj Aziz, the prime minister’s adviser on foreign affairs, cautioned the US as both countries lock horns over the purchase of the fighter jets.
The United States has told Pakistan it will have to finance the purchase of US F-16 fighter jets itself after members of the US Congress objected to the use of government funds to pay for them.
The US government said in February it had approved the sale to Pakistan of up to eight F-16 fighter jets built by Lockheed Martin Corp LMT.N, as well as radar and other equipment in a deal valued at US$699 million.
The latest announcement practically kills the deal as Pakistan may find it difficult to buy the planes at two and a half times more than the agreed price.
Aziz assured that Pakistan’s command and control system is capable of giving a befitting response to every kind of challenge.
While addressing a seminar related to nuclear non-proliferation, Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan has forwarded several suggestions to free the region from nuclear weapons and is also playing a responsible role in this regard.
He said Pakistan’s command and control program is ready to face any challenge as it is according to international missile technology.
He further said that concessions given to India over nuclear missile material would be resulted in instability and increase in usage of weapons.
Read more: US tells Pakistan to purchase F-16s itself