NEW DELHI - Afraid of Pakistan Air Force capabilities, India strongly raised with United States the issue of F16 arms sale to Pakistan.
India has strongly taken up the issue of a US military sale to Pakistan and expressed grave concerns over the issue.
The US in turn has assured that the sale does not mean that the freeze on US military assistance to Pakistan has been removed.
Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday, "We've taken up the matter with the US Ambassador here in Delhi as well as the government of US through our Ambassador. We have expressed grave concern over the US military assistance to Pakistan." *‘GRAVE CONCERN’* Ministry of External Affairs spokesperson Raveesh Kumar said on Thursday, “We’ve taken up the matter with the US Ambassador here in Delhi as well as the government of US through our Ambassador. We have expressed grave concern over the US military assistance to Pakistan.”
"What we have been told by the US is that the proposed sale doesn't indicate any change in the US policy of maintaining a freeze in military assistance to Pakistan," he added.
The US State Department last week approved a $125-million support for Pakistan's F-16 Program.
The US Defence Security cooperation agency said the $125-million support will not "alter the basic military balance in the region."