Washington: US Secretary of State Antony Blinken defended military sales to Pakistan after withering criticism from growing US partner India, which considers itself target of Islamabad's F-16 aggressors. Blinken met in US capital with India's foreign minister a day after separate talks with his counterpart from Pakistan.

US-Pakistan alliance, born out of Cold War has frayed over Islamabad's relationship with Taliban regime in Afghanistan. Though a recent change in Islamabad has seen efforts at rapproachment led by Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto Zardari. Top US diplomat defended a $ 450 million F-16 deal for Pakistan approved earlier in September, saying package was for maintenance of Pakistan's existing fleet.

"These are not new planes, new systems and new weapons. It's sustaining what they have," Blinken told a news conference with his Indian counterpart, External Affairs Minister Subrahmanyam Jaishankar.

"Pakistan's program bolsters its capability to deal with terrorist threats emanating from Pakistan or from region. It's in no one's interests that those threats be able to go forward with impunity," Blinken said.

Published in The Daily National Courier, September, 28 2022

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