F-16: US feeds Pak the delusion of being India's military equal

New Delhi, Apr 28: India sees hope in the statements made by top lawmakers in the United States of America who have warned against the sale of F-16s to Pakistan.

Congressman Mat Salmon said that many including him question the judgement of the Obama administration to sell the F-16s to Pakistan as they felt it would ultimately be used against India.

India had raised this issue when the decision to sell the F-16s to Pakistan was taken. However the Obama administration did not pay heed to the concerns and decided to go ahead with the sale.

Will the words of Salmon ensure a change in decision? India hopes it does change the decision, but says it does not have its hope too high up.

Warning from a former Pakistan diplomat

Last year, a former Pakistani ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani too had warned about the sale of F-16s to his country.

He had suggested that the US must tell Pakistan that their ambition of rivalling India is akin to Belgium trying to rival France or Germany.

Haqqani had felt that unless Pakistan changes its world view and its compulsive competition with its much larger neighbour, American weapons would end up being used to fight or menace India.

By aiding around 40 billion US dollars to Pakistan since 1950, the US has fed Pakistan the delusion of being India's regional military equal, Haqqani had also said.

The US policy since the 1950s has only nurtured Pakistan's military and making it dream about a parity with India. Instead the US policy towards Pakistan should be one that supports aspirations of the people for a better standard of living, he had also noted.

OneIndia News