John Kerry's War?
F-16s have been a critical part of the Pakistani fight against the terrorists: Kerry
Dunya News Report (Madiha Fareed)
WASHINGTON- United States Secretary of State John Kerry passionately defended the sale of Lockheed Martin Corp F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, saying that US is committed to boosting Pakistan’s strategic capabilities in its war against terrorists.
“The F-16s have been a critical part of the Pakistani fight against the terrorists in the western part of that country, and have been effective in that fight. And Pakistan has lost some 50,000 people in the last years, including troops, to the terrorists that are threatening Pakistan itself, Kerry told the house during a congressional hearing. Secretary of State John Kerry categorically stated that USA plans to go-ahead with the deal.
He also added that Pakistan’s effective operations in its north region have forced the Haqqani network to flee and have paved the way for peace dialogue between Afghan government and Taliban factions.
United States department of Statement also defended the decision to sell F-16 aircraft to Pakistan and has lauded Pakistan’s role in combating terrorism.
Earlier this month, the Obama administration formally announced it would go ahead with the impending arms deal with Pakistan. US Secretary of State John Kerry last week sent his department’s annual budget to Congress, proposing a financial assistance of 859.8 million USD for Pakistan, which includes 265 million USD for military hardware. This indicates that Pakistan will have to bear most of the costs for the deal which include buying eight nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets reportedly worth nearly 700 million USD.
The proposed deal will now go through a 30-day notification period after which it will be finalized during which the deal can be debated within the houses of senate.
Pentagon spokesman reiterated the point at the press briefing about the importance of the F-16 deal saying "We think this (sale of aircraft) is a capability that will help Pakistan in its counterterrorism effort and we think that s in the national security interests of the United States".
However not everyone in USA feels the same, the deal is facing a strong resistance from quite a few politicians and members of the congress. And the bill is up for debate in both houses of the congress.
Senator Bob Corker, Chairman Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has been a critic of USA’s continuing military aids to Pakistanand has moved a resolution to block the deal.
Corkertold Secretary of State John Kerry in a letter earlier this month that he was concerned about Pakistan’s ties to the Haqqani network, a militant group that US officials claim to be behind attacks in Afghanistan.
Senator John McCain, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee and former presidential candidate said that the bill could have been delayed as it was already in the pipeline for 4 to 5 years Saying, “I’d rather have seen it kicked over into the next administration”, and also added that it would complicate USA’s relations with India. He had asked for a hearing in Senate on the possible sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, noting that he himself has doubts.
The deal prompted a strong response from India who is furious over the deal and has formally protested with USA by calling upon their Ambassador in Delhi. Its lobbyists in Washington have gotten to work to block the deal. Indian media also lashed out on John Kerry and Obama Administration for signing this deal with Pakistan, regarding it nothing less of a betrayal.
US Department of Defence on Tuesday that F-16 deal with Pakistan should be of no concern to India as the decision about the deal was taken after taking into account the regional security conditions; Pakistan has also disregarded India’s antagonism as unreasonable.
The 6th round of US Pakistan strategic dialogue is scheduled for February 29th, 2016 in which the details of the deal will be discussed thoroughly. Prime Minister’s Advisor on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz will meet Senator John Kerry in Washington to discuss a range of issues including strengthening security and stability in the region, increasing trade, and the highly anticipated peace talks between Afghan government and Taliban factions which are expected to be moderated by Pakistan.
John Kerry has proven to be the Charlie Wilson of our times, who was a congressman of Democratic Party and a member of Congress’s sub-committee on defense. He was a fierce supporter of giving Pakistan the military aid to fight soviets in Afghanistan during 1980s. The account of Charlie Wilson’s struggle was compiled by a journalist George Crile in his 2003 book “Charlie Wilson’s War: The Extraordinary Story of How the Wildest Man in Congress and a Rogue CIA Agent Changed the History of Our Times”. The book became an instant best-seller and was the basis of Tom Hanks’ 2007 movie Charlie Wilson’s War.
John Kerry is one of the few friends Pakistan has in Washington. He has been a vocal advocate of increasing military and non-military aid to Pakistan. He is among the few who openly acknowledge Pakistan’s sacrifices in war on Terror. Kerry was also the main man behind the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Act that authorized the release of 1.5 billion USD per year to Government of Pakistan as non-military aid for 5 years. The fate of the F-16 deal still hangs in the balance but Mr. Kerry has earned a lot of respect among Pakistan public.
