Pak may have to shell out $700m for 8 F-16s

Washington, April 29

As a result of which Pakistan would have to make arrangements for all USD700 million to purchase eight F-16 from the United States, the notification for which was made by the State Department to the Congress late last year.

Quoting an unnamed official in administration, a BBC report said that the because of the hold on it by Senators in the Senate, the US Government will not be using any of the tax payers money to sell F-18 to Pakistan.

As per the Congressional notification, it has been scheduled as a foreign military financing.

According to the news report in BBC, the Obama Administration had to take the decision as Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has put a hold on it in this regard.

During the hearing, the Special US Representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Olson strongly defended the decision of the Obama administration saying that this is in the best interest of the United States and did not gave any indication on the difficulties in sale of F-16.  —PTI