WASHINGTON:The United States’ proposed $450-million sale for Pakistan to refurbish its F-16 fighters fleet will sustain the South Asian country’s capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats, State Department Spokesperson has said.
“This is a fleet that allows Pakistan to support counterterrorism operations, and we expect Pakistan will take sustained action against all terrorist groups,” he said in response to a question from the correspondent of a private TV channel.
“We did recently notify Congress of a proposed foreign military sale valued at USD 450 million for maintenance and sustainment services for the Pakistani Air Force’s F-16 programme,” Price told reporters at his daily news conference on Tuesday.
“Pakistan is an important partner in a number of regards, an important counterterrorism partner. And as part of our longstanding policy, we provide lifecycle maintenance and sustainment packages for US-origin platforms,” he said.
“Pakistan’s F-16 programme is an important part of a broader US-Pakistan bilateral relationship, and this proposed sale will sustain Pakistan’s capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats by maintaining the F-16 fleet,” Price said.