News
Saturday, August 30, 2008
Congressional move to block funds for F-16 upgrade fails
By Khalid Hasan
WASHINGTON: The attempt by two key congressional leaders to block the transfer of $227 million from foreign military funds to be given to Pakistan in financial year 2008 to support Islamabad’s F-16 mid-life update programme has been defeated and $116 million in reprogrammed funds disbursed to Islamabad earlier this month. According to Alan Kronstadt of the Congressional Research Service, in 2006, Pakistan vowed to use its national funds for the bulk of such upgradations. However, when Pakistan wanted to review what it had vowed to do, the request was met with “anger and dismay” by some in Congress. The State Department spokesman’s comments also revealed that Pakistan will be using – and may already have used – F-16s to deal with the insurgency in FATA. The spokesman said, “Well, I’ll tell you, these mid-life update enhancements are going to provide Pakistan’s air force with the technological capability to conduct precision close airstrikes against terrorist targets who exploit the FATA.”
Courtesy Daily Times