The Indian government has developed a prosperous relationship with the U.S government and is unquestionably an ally to the latter. But the Indian government sees Biden’s decision to sustain Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, providing purchases of $450 million, as a potential threat to India’s security. The Foreign Office of India has not released any official statement on the subject.
Biden on September 8 approved the aforementioned sum towards the international military sales and notified Congress of his decision. U.S believes Pakistan to be a vital partner in its anti-terrorism campaign. But India seems to differ.
The Indian government in the past has believed that the sustenance packages are to fight India rather than terrorism. The contract will be handled by Lockheed Martin Corp and is in direct opposition to the Trump Administration, which in 2018 stopped all forms of military assistance to Pakistan saying that the country is not a partner in the U.S’s attempt to abolish terrorism. By providing the sustenance program the United States is hopeful that the bilateral relationship between the two countries will progress and in the future, any further terrorist aggression can be countered.
The decision was facilitated by the death of Al Qaeda’s Ayman al-Zawahiri, according to the Taliban. Pakistan denies any links between the two cases.
India believes that this action will allow Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, however, outdated it may be, to structure forceful cultivation in which India could be a possible target. Indian media views it as a measure to maintain military equilibrium between the two nuclear powers.
