If there was any hope in India that the sale of F-16s worth $ 700 million dollars would be blocked, it was dashed in the US Senate when a joint resolution was defeated. The Pakistani Air Force has been buying F-16s since the early 1980s and an additional eight aircraft are not likely to alter the balance of power in the region. New Delhi had expressed its displeasure with the sale, especially since the justification given by the US
Defence Security Cooperation Agency was that the jets could prove to be assets in the fight against terrorism and would further US security interests in the region. Irrespective of how Pakistan chooses to use the jets any addition of weapons to its arsenal is always a concern for New Delhi.
From a US point of view, Islamabad is a long standing ally
and now a crucial one in the fight against terrorism. Although
attention has shifted to the ISIS in Syria and Iraq, Pakistan
still stands at the crossroads of terrorism. Also, the US sees
the country as a crucial piece in its Afghanistan policy which
is now at a critical junction. India has worked hard to de-hyphenate
its US foreign policy from Pakistan and a protest however
feeble, has the potential to undo this ground work. In this
case, diplomatic silence might speak louder than words.
