It’s a sale, not assistance: US diplomat on supply of F-16 equipment to Pak

The Joe Biden-led US government has authorized a USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment application to Pakistan, reversing a Trump-era order which suspended security resource to Islamabad. However, a pinnacle US diplomat told India Today that it used to be just a sale of spare parts for the current F-16 fleet with Paksitan and no longer useful resource from the US government.

Donald Lu, US Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia and Central Asian Affairs, told India Today it is the worldwide policy of the US authorities to aid the defence tools supplied through them to a united states of america for the lifecycle of that precise system.

“In this case, it capability spare parts and maintenance,” Donald Lu said.

“It is a sale, not assistance. And we are proposing to furnish servicing of wings and gear so that these airplanes can meet the air safety standard,” he added.

Donald Lu said beneath the program, no new capability and weapons device is being provided to Pakistan.