It's advantage for India in US asking Pakistan to pay for F-16s

Much to Islamabad's chagrin, the message coming out from Washington is loud and clear. Pakistan is now being asked to pay for F-16 jets from of its own pocket.

The message that the US is sending to Pakistan after it threatened to yank financing for F-16 jets ordered by the country cannot be more categorical.

Purchase

Pakistan can still purchase the fighter jets, but Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman senator Bob Corker has promised to block any US funding for the deal in a reflection of congressional anger at the Pakistani government for what many say are its close relationships with anti-American Islamist militants. The jets, along with other military equipment, approved for sale to Pakistan will cost around $700 million to the US exchequer.

Earlier this year, the Obama administration had approved the sale of up to eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

Also read - Selling F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan is not a sign of 'American duplicity'

But Bob Corker announced earlier this week that Pakistan will have to pay full price for its purchase of eight F-16 fighter jets from the United States. Senator Corker commented, "Given congressional objections, we have told the Pakistanis that they should put forward national funds for that purpose."

Some members of the US Congress, led by Sen Corker, had objected to the use of US funds to subsidise the sale of the F-16s to Pakistan based on what they see as the Pakistani government's support of militant groups that have targeted Americans and Afghans and their inadequate support of the Afghan peace process.

Pakistan is now reportedly exploring alternative options, such as the Russian SU35 and the Chinese J10 and J20 stealth fighters.

Sartaj Aziz, the Pakistani prime minister's adviser on foreign affairs, said that Pakistan will "opt for jets from some other place" if US funding is not arranged. It is clear that even if this immediate matter of F-16 sale is resolved, The US-Pakistan relations are only going to go downhill.

And this has been clear for quite some time now. In many ways, this was bound to happen. Pakistan could not have expected to play China and the US against each other for this long. Moreover, Pakistan's dubious role in Afghanistan is creating a strong backlash in the US.

In his address to a joint session of Afghanistan's two houses of Parliament last month, Afghan President Ashraf Ghani threatened to lodge a formal complaint against Pakistan at the UN.

In a departure from his earlier stand, Ghani called on Pakistan to forego attempts to bring the Taliban to negotiations and take military action against the militant group.

Diplomatic

The Afghan president threatened, "If we do not see a change, despite our hopes and efforts for regional cooperation, we will be forced to turn to the UN Security Council and launch serious diplomatic efforts." Despite Pakistan's repeated assertions that it would go after Taliban leaders who refused to engage in the peace process involving Afghanistan, Pakistan, the United States, and China, negotiations have stalled and deadly attacks in Afghanistan have increased as the Taliban carries out its spring offensive.

Also read - Why US supplying F-16s to Pakistan is not the real threat to IAF

On April 19, Afghan Taliban-claimed attack against a security agency responsible for protecting senior government officials and VIPs, which killed 64 people and injured 347 others. Afghanistan has alleged that this deadly attack in Kabul was planned by the Haqqani Network in Pakistan.

Rather than engaging Pakistan, Kabul is now talking of isolating Pakistan in response. Deputy spokesperson for Afghan president Dawa Khan Meenpal recently suggested that "Pakistan is in the state of isolation. We want to use diplomatic initiative to isolate Pakistan at regional and international levels and to tell the world community where terrorists are and which country and intelligence (agency) support them." Washington's anger is reflective of this growing divide in Afghanistan-Pakistan relations.

Sale

When the Obama administration had decided to go ahead with the sale of F-16s to Pakistan, India's reaction was strong.

It had openly disagreed with the US stand that this sale would help in the fight against terrorism and instead has argued that it would be used against India. US ambassador to India, Richard Verma was summoned to underscore India's displeasure. Delhi is seriously concerned about the changing balance of air power in the region as Pakistan today has four squadrons of F-16 fighters, all built with the US assistance.

Also read - America sadly doesn't see India as a political equal

But India-US ties today are at a completely different level. As Prime Minister Narendra Modi gets ready to address the US Congress next month, both Washington and Delhi need to find a better way of managing Pakistan, so as not to impact the positive trajectory of their bilateral ties. There is a larger strategic reality that confronts India and the US beyond Pakistan.

This is clear from recent attempts by the two states to swap anti-submarine warfare technology in order to counter the threat from Chinese submarines. It is likely that a joint US-India exercise on anti-submarine warfare will take place in the Philippine Sea and include Japan as the two navies gear up to hedge against patrols by Chinese nuclear-armed submarines.

Pakistan is being sent a message from the US polity that it cannot forever blackmail America. India should remain alive to such changes in the US and leverage them accordingly.

(Courtesy of Mail Today.)