Response from the US government to Jaishankar's "not deceiving anybody" remark is that relations with Pakistan stand on their own.

  • Sept. 27, 2022, 11:40 a.m.

A day after External Affairs Minister S Jaishankar questioned the rationale behind the United States' F-16 assistance to Islamabad, the US government on Monday explained that the country's ties with India and Pakistan have different points of emphasis.

During a press conference, State Department spokesperson Ned Price said, "We don't view our relationship with Pakistan, and on the other hand, we don't view our relationship with India as in relation to one another. These are both partners of ours with different points of emphasis in each. "

"We look at both as partners, because we do have, in many cases, shared values. We do have, in many cases, shared interests. And the relationship we have with India stands on its own. The relationship we have with Pakistan "stands on its own," he added.

The official response from the Joe Biden administration came hours after S Jaishankar rebuked its argument that the F-16 sustenance package to Pakistan was to fight terrorism.

The Indian Foreign Minister said everybody knows where and against whom F-16 fighter jets are used. "You are not fooling anybody by saying these things," he said in response to a question during an interaction with Indian-Americans.

Earlier this month, the Biden administration approved a USD 450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme for Pakistan, reversing the decision of the previous Trump administration to suspend military aid to Islamabad for providing safe havens for the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

Author : Rajdhani Delhi Representative

Rajdhani delhi representative

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