*WASHINGTON: The F-16 fighter jets deal between the United States andPakistan clearly notes that the aircraft could be used by Islamabad as‘deterrence’ in a future conflict with India, adding that it could alsoprevent a nuclear battle between the arch-rivals.*
Either important points were specifically cited in a message the then USambassador in Islamabad Anne Patterson sent to the State Department onApril 24, 2008.
“An enhanced F-16 programme also has deterrence value by giving Pakistantime and space to employ a conventional, rather than nuclear, reaction inthe event of a future conflict with India,” she wrote.
The quote is extracted from a 20-paragraph proclamation that AmbassadorPatterson sent to Washington in April 2008 and was disclosed by WikiLeaks.
The statement refers to the use of 500 AIM-120-C5 Advanced Medium RangeAir-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAMs), which New Dehli claims that Pakistan AirForce used against the Indian Air Force in an aerial combat in last week ofFebruary.
US often imposes restrictions on how its exported military hardware can beused through so-called end-user agreements.
Elucidating the rationale behind the notion of averting a nuclear war inSouth Asia by the use of F-16s, she wrote, “To overcome overwhelming Indianmilitary superiority, Pakistan developed both its nuclear/missile programmeand its air power. F-16 aircraft, armed with AMRAAMS, essentially buy timeto delay Pakistan considering the nuclear option in a conflict with India.”
“Given India’s overwhelming military superiority, this would only be a fewdays, but these days would allow critical time to mediate and preventnuclear conflict.”
Few days earlier, a CNN report said that Washington wanted to know ifPakistan used a US-built F-16 jet to shot down Indian warplane on Feb 27.As, the United States often imposes restrictions on how its exportedmilitary hardware can be used through so-called end-user agreements.