WASHINGTON: The US State Department has said that Pakistan will have to pay from its own funds if it wants to buy F-16 fighter jets.

Pakistan had earlier reached an understanding with the US for buying eight F-16 planes. Under the deal, Pakistan was required to pay about $270m from its national funds. The US was supposed to provide the rest from its Foreign Military Financing (FMF) fund.

But at a congressional hearing on Wednesday, US lawmakers made it clear that they would not allow the Obama administration to use US funds for the deal.

On Friday, a State Department official told Dawn that Congress had placed a hold on the deal, forbidding the administration from using US funds for enabling Pakistan to buy the planes.

And on Monday afternoon, the department confirmed that Pakistan will have to use its own funds if it wants the planes.

The latest announcement practically kills the deal and Pakistan may find it difficult to buy the planes at two and a half times more than the agreed price.

Published in Dawn, May 3rd, 2016

Opinion

Editorial

Sedition law
Updated 31 Mar, 2023

Sedition law

It is about time that our social contract is rewritten to reflect the primacy of the public’s right to democratic expression and dissent.
A step forward
31 Mar, 2023

A step forward

ALTHOUGH her post is temporary at the moment, Justice Musarrat Hilali has nevertheless made history by being...
Clipped wings
Updated 30 Mar, 2023

Clipped wings

The bill to clip CJP's suo motu powers will more likely complicate the SC's problems rather than solve them.
Water shortages
30 Mar, 2023

Water shortages

IT is that time of the year when Punjab and Sindh come face to face over the distribution of river water — or, ...
Democracy summit
30 Mar, 2023

Democracy summit

THE second US-sponsored Summit for Democracy, which is currently underway, offers a small glimpse of the tough...