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WASHINGTON: The ongoing military operation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (Fata) forced the Haqqani network to relocate, said US Secretary of State John Kerry while defending the Obama administration’s decision to sell eight F-16 aircraft to Pakistan.
The network’s presence in Fata was used as the main argument against the proposed sale during a congressional hearing on Tuesday.
“They continue to support the Taliban, the Haqqani network and to give safe haven to Al Qaeda,” said Senator Bob Corker while opposing the proposed sale.
Congressional hearing turns into debate on Pakistan-US ties
“They drove the Haqqani network into new locations. And it’s an ongoing process,” said Secretary Kerry while rejecting the senator’s argument. But he acknowledged that some “entities” were still there, “complicat(ing) our efforts very significantly.”
Mr Kerry appeared before the Senate Foreign Relations Committee on Tuesday to defend the administration’s budget for 2017, which provides $50.1 billion in discretionary funding for the Department of State and the US Agency for International Aid.
“We are helping Afghanistan and Pakistan to counter violent extremism,” Secretary Kerry told the lawmakers while explaining why the administration was seeking $742 million for Pakistan as well. The hearing turned into a mini-debate on America’s ‘complicated’ relations with Pakistan.
Senator Corker, who chairs the committee, accused Pakistan of practising “outright blatant duplicity”, as it maintained friendly ties with the US but continued to support the extremists as well.
He claimed that a “tremendous amount of US taxpayers’ money” had gone into Waziristan, changing “the context of those areas” and yet they did not stop supporting militants.
He then moved to Islamabad’s request for purchasing eight F-16 aircraft from the United States and pledged to continue opposing the deal if Pakistan did not stop the alleged duplicity.
Mr Kerry assured the senator that the State Department had evaluated ‘all aspects of the counterterrorism efforts” with respect to Pakistan’s impact on Afghanistan.
He said that a few weeks ago, he met Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif in Switzerland and discussed US concerns about the need to “rein in particular terrorist groups that are either home-grown in Pakistan or are using Pakistan as a sanctuary”.
Published in Dawn, February 25th, 2016
Read more
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'Disappointed' India summons US ambassador over sale of F-16s to Pakistan
Comments (62) Closed
Feb 25, 2016 07:11am
The Senator should understand the consequences of losing Pakistan as a strategic ally at this point. Its not 2006, its 2016. The world has changed and so has the dynamics of so called "war on terror". The US is no longer seen as a cure but rather a catalyst in all ongoing conflicts around the globe. The US has already lost a few allies, and if the bullying continues, it won't be a surprise if more countries sideline themselves from US alliance. As for the F-16s, as much as a good aircraft it is (and one of my personal favorites), it is replaceable with Russian or Chinese aircrafts if push comes to shove.
These are uncertain times and murky waters. All needs to tread carefully, including the US.
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Feb 25, 2016 07:25am
The US is only interested in its own agendas and not to be trusted.....
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Feb 25, 2016 07:43am
Mr. Kerry is a thorough gentleman and a true friend of Pakistan...
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Feb 25, 2016 08:06am
Typical American approach ...."carrot and stick"
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Feb 25, 2016 08:28am
USAID will never work for the Pakistani people. The money will eventually end up in corrupted Pakistani politicians and bureaucrat's pocket. American tax payers should not waste their tax $$ in so called promoting democracy in Pakistan.
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Feb 25, 2016 08:37am
The gist is to get rid of this - "outright blatant duplicity"
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Feb 25, 2016 08:47am
@Sami Khan true
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Feb 25, 2016 09:04am
Pakistan should stop looking towards west for its defense needs. Why don't we buy J-10b from China instead of 30 year old technology from US?
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Feb 25, 2016 09:10am
Senator Corker claimed that a “tremendous amount of US taxpayers’ money ” had gone into Waziristan, changing “the context of those areas”
Mr. Senator, you are right, Waziristan context has changed indeed, all houses demolished and schools bombed.
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Feb 25, 2016 09:15am
@Hamid My friend the same reason no one is buying the PAC JF 17 quality sucks and the mechanis are way outdates, JF 17 uses C++ coding, for god sake
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Feb 25, 2016 09:18am
US and West do acknowledge that Afghanistan is not the place for them to stay. Haqqani's or any other will not rest until US and West completely withdraw from their soil as their history and present speaks for itself.
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Feb 25, 2016 09:22am
@Hamid .... .... There is only one answer. That would be for you to contact the Pakistan Air Force.
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Feb 25, 2016 09:33am
@Akil Akhtar
Pakistan has its own agendas as well. Should Pakistan not be trusted?
Every country has its own priorities, Pakistanis should understand how things go about in US governance system. Lobbying is thes word around which US diplomacy revolve. And i dont know many countries apart from Pakistan who are bad at lobbying in US power circles.
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Feb 25, 2016 09:39am
@Akil Akhtar Which country isn't interested in its own agenda?
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Feb 25, 2016 09:40am
@Sami Khan Its 100% true.
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Feb 25, 2016 10:09am
“tremendous amount of US taxpayers’ money ” had gone into Waziristan, changing “the context of those areas”. I pity this poor Senator, his sources of intelligence are completely out of sync with realities on the ground. God save America from these loud sirens
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Feb 25, 2016 10:26am
Pakistan should in no way fight a proxy war .
Historically, the terrorists were basically encouraged by the Western Powers, in the first place, to fight against the "menace" of Communism and the Soviet Union, back in the 70s.
Although, the Soviet Union, with its unique brand of "communism", has disappeared from the very map of the world, the terrorists are still lingering and fighting for achieving an imaginary "Islamic State".
Pakistani people really need economic growth and robust educational development, for the purpose of national reconstruction. The Chinese, Russian and Western Powers, therefore, must help this strategically-located South Asian state, to develop in a democratic and economically self-sufficient manner.
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Feb 25, 2016 10:28am
Sale may get canceled with the change of president. Pakistan should not trust US but I think with US paying half price and providing financing for rest... Is worth it.
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Feb 25, 2016 10:31am
for your kind information Senetor, Pakistan has lost more than 100 billion dollars in the American war on terror, being an ally and in return it got not more 11 billion aid from the US. You must be thankful to pak for all the sacrifices rather than complaining. Have some sense.
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Feb 25, 2016 10:51am
The US lawmakers should be ashamed of making anti-Pakistan comments, knowing full well the heavy price Pakistan is compelled to pay in support of US policy in our region. They can never repay us enough for the innumerable precious lives we have lost, and damage to property and infrastructure.
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Feb 25, 2016 11:35am
Who cares about the US. We have our iron brothers to help us with everything.
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Feb 25, 2016 11:52am
@The Reluctant Fundamentalist ....Cant agree more.
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Feb 25, 2016 12:16pm
The senator is concerned about spending tax payers money in Wazirastan but he very well knows that its the same tax payers money which you spent 100 fold in Afghanistan but at last you gained nothing and eventually came down to ask Pakistan for help. Keeping minor disagreements aside sir, Pakistan has been washing your dirty laundry since 1979 and in the process, those 65 thousand military and civil deaths feel as bad as if it would had for you if those martyrs were Americans.
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Feb 25, 2016 12:40pm
Can Senator Corker explain achievements of spending “tremendous amount of US taxpayers’ money” in Afghanistan and Iraq over the last decades???
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Feb 25, 2016 12:41pm
@Sami Khan You are wrong most of the money goes back to US in a roundabout way.most beneficiary are defense contractors & middlemen from both countries.
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Feb 25, 2016 12:41pm
Pakistan must maintain strong working diplomatic relationship with America but must distance her self from the security aspect of it. Bad publicity in the age of media is not worth these few jets. PAF and government should know better.
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Feb 25, 2016 01:28pm
Pakistan suffered alot from the USA war in Pakistan. Also Pakistan contributed towards the downfall of Soviet union and to keep USA as superpower. We gave major sacrifices for US. At least US parliamentarian should keep this is mind.
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Feb 25, 2016 02:24pm
@JagaJatt so what language is F16 or even F22 coded in to be considered advanced? Java??
Most high performance and real time systems are still coded in C.
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Feb 25, 2016 02:24pm
Let 8B$ be used to open branches of high ranking USA universities in Karachi, Lahore and Islamabad which will produce many global CEOs and thousands of educated Pak people for next 200 yrs. F16 will be junk in 25yrs time.
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Feb 25, 2016 03:01pm
@The Reluctant Fundamentalist Agree with every word of you. Just wanted to add few more things. USA is a double faced country, the only motive of selling these aircraft is to stop Pakistan looking for other options like Russia and China with which its relations are degrading.
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Feb 25, 2016 03:36pm
@The Reluctant Fundamentalist.............. Fully Agreed to the last word Sir.
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Feb 25, 2016 03:42pm
Pakistan has the determination to wipe out terrorism, as regards present government, but internal problems are there to enforce strictly.
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Feb 25, 2016 03:44pm
Corker is a stooge of the Indian lobby. Keep tabs on this guy once he leaves Congress. Not only is he ignorant of the fact that Pakistan has lost more than 60,000 military personnel and civilians in the war against terror but that the marque of F-16 earmarked for the PAF is the kind the USAF has been using to bomb terrorist targets in Afghanistan, and therefor equally suitable for similar duties in North Waziristan.
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Feb 25, 2016 03:57pm
Pakistan's anti-terror campaign continues unabated. The army operation Zarbe Azb has already broken the back of terrorists who are on the run now. Senator Corker's remarks are based on incorrect information and is a reflection of his unprofessional assessment of ground realities.Losing Pakistan as a strategic ally at the present critical juncture can prove costly for Washington and its regional interests.Secretary of State John Kerry has rightly recognized Pakistan's sustained efforts aimed at ridding the country of terrorism and extremism. This campaign will continue with or without the US support and aid until final victory. As for the sale of F-16s, they can help reinforce and push forward Islamabad's fight against terrorism ensuring the common interests and security goals of the two countries.
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Feb 25, 2016 04:09pm
@JagaJatt JFT has already been confirmed sold to Myanmar and Nigeria. What about Tejas?
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Feb 25, 2016 04:30pm
Very complicated relationship with Pakustan it change whencver USA wants to accuse the wrong doing by Pakistan. It should be taken as and when it comes.
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Feb 25, 2016 05:09pm
Harping on the same tune as if nothing has changed. How helpful is that in the face of the fact that we have lost more than 50,000 people in this war against terror.
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Feb 25, 2016 05:25pm
@Ahmed USA u r really emotional political reviewer...in politics there are no friends and enemies...there are just personal interest and agenda...
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Feb 25, 2016 05:28pm
Just FYI, he is a lobbyist for India, these people could careless about India, Pakistan, Taliban, Haqqanis. Mighty dollars make these people talk. Pakistan can also purchase him, he will start talking against India the second minute. I do give Indian foreign office credit.
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Feb 25, 2016 05:31pm
@Hamid .its not the same aircraft which was developed 30 years ago. Lockheed Martin is constantly updating the plane to meet new challenges. Its the most cost effective plane which has seen more aircombat than any other plane. The plane is being used by more than 100 countries including US and its Nato allies.
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Feb 25, 2016 06:28pm
The US agenda is very clear - keep the Middle East and South Asia on the edge. Make the countries fight against each other, but keep it contained. And the reason is - the ME and SE combine sales of arms and ammunition is highest ever in the history. So, all these senate hearings, yet still allowing sale of F-16s or others arms to India is all an eye wash.
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Feb 25, 2016 06:43pm
Drama continues! they all know the facts but are playing ignorant. How else will Indian lobby explain its payers the defeat in stopping the sale of the planes. Btw I am surprised that important piece of Kerry's testimony was missed . He mentioned yesterday that there are forces at play in Afghanistan - Pakistan border areas that he cannot disclose before the house. I believe he was referencing to RAW
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Feb 25, 2016 07:42pm
Senator Corker, you have spent $800 Billion losing the war in Afghanistan and $1200 Billion losing the war in Iraq. For a few billion more Pakistan can provide you a fig leaf for retreat from Afghanistan and make your defeat look like an agreement. It is one heck of a deal.
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Feb 25, 2016 07:44pm
@Sami Khan;
'The money will eventually end up in corrupted Pakistani politicians and bureaucrat's pocket.'
Certainly. That is the intent of both the giver and the taker.
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Feb 25, 2016 08:02pm
@Moaning Indian;
The Indians scrapped the program to develop the jet engine for Tejas, known as the Cowry. Now they have selected GE F-414 engine. US arming both India and Pakistan, talk about duplicity.
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Feb 25, 2016 08:52pm
John Kerry is the finest US Secretary of State in recent times, as Vietnam veteran he knows the prohibitive costs of wars. He handled Iran nuclear negotiations brilliantly with extraordinary patience and fairness. He appeared before Senate Foreign Relations Committee for 2017 budget. He is a friend of Pakistan and the most respected US diplomat around the world.
Senator Bob Corker is a Republican. This is US election year, so he turned the hearing into political football. He is influenced by some lobbies, he repeated his mantra that Pakistan supported terrorism, when Pakistan in reality is a victim of terrorism with 60,000 Pakistanis killed.
He said huge amount of money had gone into Pakistan? Not so, Mr. Senator. The US spent $1.5 trillion on the War on Terror. $823 billion spent on Iraq, $718 billion on Afghanistan and $20 billion on Pakistan. Of this, $13 billion was re-imbursement for Coalition Support Fund, leaving only $7 billion for economic and military assistance.
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Feb 25, 2016 09:00pm
@Ahmed USA
A diplomat is nobody's friend. But , yes he is a gentleman.
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Feb 25, 2016 09:01pm
@Ahmed USA
A diplomat is nobody's friend. But , yes he is a gentleman.
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Feb 25, 2016 09:52pm
So they want Pakistan to be more open to following orders from people who know little about the country or region.
Do they realise Pak has different policies and priorities to the US in many cases.
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Feb 25, 2016 10:02pm
@JagaJatt
Jf 17 may not match with F16 but there are planes of similar and even higher quality which can be purchased from China or Russia.
It should be remembered that Pakistan only is focussing on defending itself and with its missile and nuke inventory it can scare off any potential invader without requiring fighter planes. For example enemies know that their armies will be blown away as soon as they sneak into our territory. Whether we have F16 or not makes no difference. I wish Pakistan should spend most on its economy including education and health but with Indian projects to become a hub in producing weaponary of all sorts Pakistan can not ignore the developing scenario and has to continue to strengthen itself in defence areas. Following 1971 debacle we should have no doubt about Indian intentions and although we have already neutralised Indian threat we need to constantly modernise our systems.
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Feb 26, 2016 01:51am
Finally some acknowledgement.
I was pretty tired of the 'Do More' tirade.
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Feb 26, 2016 02:01am
Does this senator Corker get out much ?
Pakistan has suffered from terrorists more than any other country .
Someone should remind him that the US could not control terrorists even after being in Afghanistan for more than a decade.
All this fuss for 8 planes ?
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Feb 26, 2016 03:38am
Continually challenging the bona Fide nature of Pakistan contribution will lead to Pakistan simply abandoning the USA and although that might seem unrealistic it is possible in the changed real politics of today
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Feb 26, 2016 04:19am
Mr kerry good guy all time welcome in Pakistan
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Feb 26, 2016 05:05am
@The Reluctant Fundamentalist - Very well said.
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Feb 26, 2016 12:09pm
@Syed
Most high performance, real time systems for destruction of mankind are now coded in arabic and urdu.
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Feb 26, 2016 12:26pm
@Bobb mack
"Following 1971 debacle we should have no doubt about Indian intentions"
Absolutely true. Pakistan has every right to upgrade its defence. India openly declared its intention of cutting down Pakistan into salami slices. I get nightmares when I even think of such a situation.
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Feb 26, 2016 02:51pm
Still Mr. Bob Corker got a problem of selling only 8 units of F-16s to Pakistan, when we clean up your mess fabricated by you people, then you tools of NWO dont object ?
Mr. Kerry you guys are confused within your own establishment.
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Feb 26, 2016 04:47pm
Pakistan did operations against Haqqanis as US admitted. But US did not take any action against TTP. Master mind of APS attack Mansoor Omar and cheif of TTP Mullah Fazlullah are still in Afghanistan under the protection of US. Why? The govt. is not protecting interests of Pakistan.
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Feb 27, 2016 11:13am
@Hamid :What happened to the JF-17 home made -and-for-export Thunder war machine ?
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Feb 27, 2016 09:37pm
@Alarmed Khan There was absolutely no need to buy expensive F-16 planes. This money should be spend on improving JF-17 and building our own aviation industry. One more foolish decision by civilian and military leadership of Pakistan.
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Feb 27, 2016 11:41pm
@JagaJatt JF17 is one of world's most successful aircraft and version III and onward editions r going to be of great value for airforce...Remember current level of F16 is after decades of reaserch works and improvements.
On other hand india 's Tejas that proven to be a failed project once for all.....
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