India’s fear of Pakistan’s air superiority by equipping it with new F-16 jets.
The sale of American F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan has worried India and considers this action against its national security.
Following the announcement of the Pentagon (US Ministry of Defense) regarding the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, India, the rival and neighbor of this country, has expressed its objection to this issue.
According to Indian media, New Delhi has expressed strong objection to the decision of the United States to provide defense and security assistance to Pakistan through the program of selling 450 million F-16 fighter jets.
According to reports, Indian officials strongly objected to Donald Lum, US Deputy Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs, due to the nature and timing of this decision. New Delhi believes that this action is against India’s security.
Meanwhile, the Pentagon-affiliated US defense agency claims that the sale of these fighters does not include any new capabilities, weapons or ammunition and will not change the balance of power in the region.
Last Thursday, the US Ministry of Defense announced the agreement of the US Foreign Ministry with the sale of F-16 fighter equipment to Pakistan.
According to a document published by the American Security Cooperation Agency in the Pentagon, the Ministry of Foreign Affairs of this country approved the sale of the package of services and equipment to support the combat power of F-16 fighters for the amount of 450 million dollars to Pakistan.
The document states: “The United States Department of State announced its approval for the possible sale of F-16 equipment and related services to the government of Pakistan worth $450 million to the government of Pakistan.”
Pakistani authorities recently asked the US to provide a set of engineering, technical and logistical services for the country’s F-16 fighter.
At the same time, the Indian Air Force plans to purchase dozens of advanced fighter jets in order to be superior to its competitors, including Pakistan and China. The Indian Air Force is planning to buy 114 fighter jets, 96 of which will be manufactured in India and another 18 will be imported from a foreign country.
