NEW DELHI: India’s foreign ministry summoned US Ambassador Richard Verma on Saturday to express its “displeasure” over the US decision to sell more F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, news reports said.

They said Foreign Secretary S. Jaishankar held a 45-minute meeting with Mr Verma and told him that not only was India disappointed by the move but was also upset that the decision to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan meant India’s protests over the past year on the issue had gone unheeded.

The foreign ministry said in a statement that India was “disappointed at the decision of the Obama administration to notify the sale of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan”.

India rejected US State Department’s contention that the sale of fighter jets was in the US “vital national security interests” as it helped Pakistan fight terrorist groups. “We disagree with their rationale that such arms transfers help to combat terrorism. The record of the last many years in this regard speaks for itself,” the statement said.

According to The Hindu, officials confirmed that India would take up the issue with the Obama administration in Washington as well.

Published in Dawn, February 14th, 2016