US State Secretary Antony Blinken on Tuesday defended Military sales to Pakistan after India’s severe criticism of them.
Blinken met in the US capital with India’s foreign minister a day after separate talks with Foreign Minister Bilawal Bhutto-Zardari.
Main Points:-
– Top US diplomat defends $450 million F-16 deal for Pakistan approved in September, says package for maintenance of the existing fleet
– Pakistan’s military relies heavily on US equipment but the relationship soured during the two-decade-long US war in Afghanistan
“Pakistan’s program bolsters its capability to deal with terrorist threats emanating from Pakistan or from the region. It’s in no one’s interests that those threats be able to go forward with impunity, and so this capability that Pakistan has had can benefit all of us in dealing with terrorism,” Blinken said.
