On Monday, US State Department spokesman John Kirby made public the US-Pakistan differences over procuring American F-16s. Kirby said Islamabad would have to pay for the jets that were to be partially funded through the Foreign Military Financing (FMF).
According to the original deal, Washington was to provide $430 million, with the remaining $270m being paid by Islamabad. Following Congressional objections on the subsidy for Pakistan, the US asked Pakistan to buy the jets with its own money.
Foreign Office sources confirm that US has suggested on numerous occasions that Pakistan hasn’t done enough to dismantle the terror groups in the country, and Washington is also sceptical about Pakistan’s nuclear programme falling into wrong hands. “The US claims that Pakistan has not taken enough action against groups like the Haqqani Network, which was formally banned last year,” an official said.
“They suggest that the April 20th attack on Kabul also had the Haqqani Network’s involvement. They are also apprehensive about our nuclear programme and reiterated that in the Nuclear Security Summit last month as well.”
Hours after Kirby’s statement, Pakistan Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz claimed Pakistan can buy jets from another state unless if the US won’t share the cost.
“If the US arranges funds, Pakistan will get the F-16s from them, otherwise we will opt for jets from some other place,” he told the media. “We require the F-16s to combat terrorism.”
Aziz said the US is still providing $265 million annually to Pakistan despite having stopped funding for the fighter jets.
According to reports another regularly reiterated US concern with regards to Pakistan is over the jail sentence of Dr Shakeel Afridi’s, arrested over espionage that eventually led to Osama bin Laden’s killing five years ago.
“I think I would get (Afridi) out in two minutes,” Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump said in an interview to Fox News last week. “I would tell them let him out and I’m sure they would let him out,” Trump claimed.
This prompted Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan to call Trump out in a press conference on Monday, asking him to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty with Sartaj Aziz reiterating that Afridi “is definitely a hero for the US but for us he is just a criminal.”
Political scientist and military analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi, author of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: An Overview 1947–2004, says it’s Republicans that are primarily behind the Congressional reconsideration of the F-16s deal with Pakistan. “Most of the noise being created is from the Republican quarters,” he says. “They are scrutinising the deals done by the Democrats for political point scoring in the election year.
Rizvi believes if the Democrats form the government again this year, the deals should be restored and Pakistan-US ties should become steady again.
Former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar also believes Pakistan would have to keep an eye on what happens in Washington this year. “US domestic politics are full of uncertainties and often end up impacting countries all over the world,” she says. “If the US doesn’t follow through on its commitment over the F-16s deal, Pakistan’s should explore other options and not over rely on Washington amidst this uncertainty.”
Hassan Askari Rizvi believes Pakistan’s options are limited and any substitute military deal would hinge on finance. He says despite recent defence pacts Pakistan’s can’t quite rely on US’ traditional rival Russia.
“Pakistan’s relations with Russia are not strong enough for us to rely on Moscow, especially considering that the Russians will always have New Delhi in mind. Another option for Pakistan could be another Western state, like France for example. But again, the funding would remain the issue,” he says.
Khar recalled that Dr Shakeel Afridi’s case became a boiling point in US-Pakistan relations in 2011. “I remember going to Washington and being constantly bombarded with questions regarding him. The pressure exerted by the US was immense, but we stood firm on our ground. I mean, how would the US react over espionage?”
Khar says the PPP-led government was given a tough time by Washington. “I think the current government has it easy. Our government resisted global pressure. The current government is having trouble dealing with it five years later.” She said Pakistan needs to stand firm on its interests and deal with the issue accordingly.
Trump’s win in the Indiana primary on Tuesday and Ted Cruz dropping out of the Presidential race, meant that he has all but sealed the Republican nomination. Hassan Askari Rizvi believes that Trump’s presidency could be damaging for American foreign policy and could seriously impact its relations with Pakistan.
“With the kind of things Trump has been saying, I think it’s not just Pakistan but US’ foreign relations with many countries would be aggravated,” Rizvi says. “Hillary’s government – assuming she wins the Democratic nomination – would bring Islamabad-Washington relations back to pretty much what they have been in the recent past. This would also mean a continuation of defence and military agreements signed by the Obama regime with Pakistan.”
Hina Rabbani Khar believes Pakistan is in dire need of policymaking that ensures that elections in the US don’t impact the country. “The government should mull policies which make the country more financially independent,” she says. “This would mean that we won’t be affected by the politics of a foreign country. That’s crucial for national sovereignty.”
According to the original deal, Washington was to provide $430 million, with the remaining $270m being paid by Islamabad. Following Congressional objections on the subsidy for Pakistan, the US asked Pakistan to buy the jets with its own money.
Foreign Office sources confirm that US has suggested on numerous occasions that Pakistan hasn’t done enough to dismantle the terror groups in the country, and Washington is also sceptical about Pakistan’s nuclear programme falling into wrong hands. “The US claims that Pakistan has not taken enough action against groups like the Haqqani Network, which was formally banned last year,” an official said.
"I would get Afridi out in two minutes," said Donald Trump
“They suggest that the April 20th attack on Kabul also had the Haqqani Network’s involvement. They are also apprehensive about our nuclear programme and reiterated that in the Nuclear Security Summit last month as well.”
Hours after Kirby’s statement, Pakistan Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz claimed Pakistan can buy jets from another state unless if the US won’t share the cost.
“If the US arranges funds, Pakistan will get the F-16s from them, otherwise we will opt for jets from some other place,” he told the media. “We require the F-16s to combat terrorism.”
Aziz said the US is still providing $265 million annually to Pakistan despite having stopped funding for the fighter jets.
According to reports another regularly reiterated US concern with regards to Pakistan is over the jail sentence of Dr Shakeel Afridi’s, arrested over espionage that eventually led to Osama bin Laden’s killing five years ago.
“I think I would get (Afridi) out in two minutes,” Republican Presidential candidate Donald Trump said in an interview to Fox News last week. “I would tell them let him out and I’m sure they would let him out,” Trump claimed.
This prompted Federal Interior Minister Chaudhary Nisar Ali Khan to call Trump out in a press conference on Monday, asking him to respect Pakistan’s sovereignty with Sartaj Aziz reiterating that Afridi “is definitely a hero for the US but for us he is just a criminal.”
Political scientist and military analyst Hassan Askari Rizvi, author of Pakistan’s Foreign Policy: An Overview 1947–2004, says it’s Republicans that are primarily behind the Congressional reconsideration of the F-16s deal with Pakistan. “Most of the noise being created is from the Republican quarters,” he says. “They are scrutinising the deals done by the Democrats for political point scoring in the election year.
Rizvi believes if the Democrats form the government again this year, the deals should be restored and Pakistan-US ties should become steady again.
Former Foreign Minister Hina Rabbani Khar also believes Pakistan would have to keep an eye on what happens in Washington this year. “US domestic politics are full of uncertainties and often end up impacting countries all over the world,” she says. “If the US doesn’t follow through on its commitment over the F-16s deal, Pakistan’s should explore other options and not over rely on Washington amidst this uncertainty.”
Hassan Askari Rizvi believes Pakistan’s options are limited and any substitute military deal would hinge on finance. He says despite recent defence pacts Pakistan’s can’t quite rely on US’ traditional rival Russia.
“Pakistan’s relations with Russia are not strong enough for us to rely on Moscow, especially considering that the Russians will always have New Delhi in mind. Another option for Pakistan could be another Western state, like France for example. But again, the funding would remain the issue,” he says.
Khar recalled that Dr Shakeel Afridi’s case became a boiling point in US-Pakistan relations in 2011. “I remember going to Washington and being constantly bombarded with questions regarding him. The pressure exerted by the US was immense, but we stood firm on our ground. I mean, how would the US react over espionage?”
Khar says the PPP-led government was given a tough time by Washington. “I think the current government has it easy. Our government resisted global pressure. The current government is having trouble dealing with it five years later.” She said Pakistan needs to stand firm on its interests and deal with the issue accordingly.
Trump’s win in the Indiana primary on Tuesday and Ted Cruz dropping out of the Presidential race, meant that he has all but sealed the Republican nomination. Hassan Askari Rizvi believes that Trump’s presidency could be damaging for American foreign policy and could seriously impact its relations with Pakistan.
“With the kind of things Trump has been saying, I think it’s not just Pakistan but US’ foreign relations with many countries would be aggravated,” Rizvi says. “Hillary’s government – assuming she wins the Democratic nomination – would bring Islamabad-Washington relations back to pretty much what they have been in the recent past. This would also mean a continuation of defence and military agreements signed by the Obama regime with Pakistan.”
Hina Rabbani Khar believes Pakistan is in dire need of policymaking that ensures that elections in the US don’t impact the country. “The government should mull policies which make the country more financially independent,” she says. “This would mean that we won’t be affected by the politics of a foreign country. That’s crucial for national sovereignty.”