Not fooling anybody: EAM slams F-16 package for Pakistan | India News – Times of India

Ahead of a meeting with his US counterpart Antony Blinken, foreign minister S Jaishankar publicly expressed India’s displeasure over the $450 million sustainment package for Pakistan‘s F-16 fleet as he said Washington was “not fooling any- body” by claiming the fighter jets were meant for counter-terrorism purposes. Jaishankar said the US-Pakistan relationship had not served the interests of either country.

India had earlier registered a strong protest with senior US officials over both the substance and timing of the US decision, following which defence minister Rajnath Singh had also expressed India’s concerns in a phone conversation with his counterpart Lloyd Austin.
“Very honestly, it’s a relationship that has neither ended up serving Pakistan well, nor serving American interests. So, it is really for the US to reflect on what are the merits of this relationship and what do they get by it,” Jaishankar said at an interaction with Indian-Americans.
Jaishankar arrived in Washington Sunday after participating in the UNGA session. He is expected to meet Blinken and senior US officials over the next few days.
“You’re not fooling anybody by saying these things,” he added, when asked about US claims that the package was meant to facilitate Pakistan’s fight against terrorism.
The Biden administration had earlier this month approved a $450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme for Pakistan, reversing the decision of the previous Trump administration to suspend military aid to Islamabad for providing safe havens for the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

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