WASHINGTON, July 17: The United States said on Wednesday it was planning to sell six cargo planes to Pakistan in the first major military sale since 1990 when the then Sr Bush administration stopped all economic and defence cooperation with the country following a dispute over its nuclear programme.

The proposed sale was announced in a notification the Defence Department sent to Congress on Tuesday. Congress has to be notified for any defence deal valued at more than $14 million.

The US had imposed additional sanctions on Pakistan following the May 1998 nuclear tests by India and Pakistan.

But President George Bush lifted the sanctions after the Sept 11 terrorist attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon in return for Pakistan’s cooperation in the war against terror.

Also on Wednesday, the State Department laid out plans for an increased aid programme for education and health sectors in Pakistan.

Defending its decision to sell cargo aircraft to Pakistan, the Pentagon said: “The proposed sale will (augment) the foreign policy and national security of the United States.”

Describing Pakistan as “an important force for economic progress in South Asia,” the Pentagon said it was “helping to improve the security of a friendly country.”

The proposed sale, however, is expected to cause an angry reaction in New Delhi as India opposes all military sales to Pakistan.

The Pentagon said the aircraft would enhance Pakistan’s capability to support the US-led military offensive against the Taliban and Osama bin Laden’s Al Qaeda network.

But it said the sale would help improve the “airlift capabilities” of the Pakistan Air Force as well.

The $75 million deal includes the six planes, associated equipment, services and training facilities. Although Washington has supplied some military spare parts to Pakistan in the past, this will be the first major deal since the lifting of the sanctions.

The US has also rescheduled a $379 million debt as a reward for Pakistan’s cooperation and allowed the US Agency for International Development to resume its assistance programme in Pakistan.

The agency will give Pakistan $50 million in aid annually and hopes to raise the amount of assistance to $80 million by 2004.