ISLAMABAD, Oct 26: Pakistan’s Foreign Office said on Wednesday that the procurement of F-16 fighter jets from the US was not an immediate issue for the country but made it clear that the deal was still on.

Foreign Office Spokesperson Tasnim Aslam when contacted by Dawn on Wednesday night indicated that procurement of F-16s was not a priority issue for Pakistan in the wake of the Oct 8 earthquake. “This is not an immediate issue for us. We will take a decision at an appropriate time, taking into account all the factors,” she said.

The spokesperson did not rule out the possibility of a delay in the delivery of F-16s but said no decision in this regard had been taken so far.

When asked if anything had been formally conveyed to the US government on this matter she said so far nothing had been communicated to Washington.

Responding to another question Spokesperson Aslam categorically stated that Pakistan-US deal on F-16s was still on.

Military Spokesman Maj-Gen Shaukat Sultan when asked to comment on the question of F-16s said he had nothing to say on it. However, referring to the statement of Pakistan’s ambassador to the US, Jehangir Karamat, he hinted that there may be some delay but no reconsidering of the deal.

According to sources close to the government, Pakistan has decided not to move further on seeking delivery of the fighter jets despite having firmed up the deal with the American authorities.

These sources say that the financial implications of the deal provided the most compelling reason for putting fighter jets on the backburner as Pakistan government was diverting all its financial resources to earthquake relief operations.

The thinking in key foreign policy and defence circles is that this would be a major drain on the national exchequer and would not send a positive signal to the international community.