'He was a practical person who ensured that he thought about the common man, animals, the fact that they have a life and they have to be respected.'
Pakistan has reduced the number of nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets it planned to buy from the United States, from 36 to 18, due to financial constraints.The 36 new F-16 block 50/52 jets were to have cost Pakistan three billion dollars and the weapon systems an additional 650 million dollars. The new Pakistan government is currently facing a major financial crunch due to rising global oil prices and inflation.
The US government has formally issued permission to Lockeed Martin, the makers of F-16, to install 18 sniper advanced targeting pods in the aircrafts, the Pakistan Observer quoted officials in Islamabad as saying.
Earlier, reports had said that the US did not want to deliver the systems that can be used for carrying a nuclear warhead.
The deal was apparently deferred partly due to conditions imposed by the US on the operations of F-16s and the absence of vital electronic capabilities from these platforms.
The IAF contingent participated in the exercise from June 4 to 14.
Pakistan is negotiating with the US to get 14 F-16 combat jets in addition to the 18 fighters whose delivery will begin later this year, air force chief Air Chief Marshal Rao Qamar Suleman said on Saturday.
Pakistan's Secretary Defence Production, General (retd) Ali Muhammad Jan Aurakzai, briefed a five-member visiting US defence delegation about the arms deal on Thursday.
It makes a difference, but India is tough enough to face any challenge, the IAF chief said.
Diplomatic and Congressional sources tell Rediff.com that for all intents and purposes, the F-16 sale is dead.
The four Block 52 F-16s are due to arrive at Shahbaz airbase in Jacobabad on Saturday, official sources were quoted as saying by the Dawn newspaper.
As a Congressman put it, "I don't think we should sell F-16s to India either. Both are poor countries. F-16s are not going to produce any more wealth for the people of Pakistan or India."
Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice has said in an interview to the Washington Post that there was 'no contradiction' between encouraging Islamabad to advance towards democracy.
As the race for bagging the US$ 10-billion Medium Multi Role Combat Aircraft order from India hots up, US aerospace major Lockheed Martin raised its sales pitch on Monday saying its fighter plane, F-16IN, is tailored exclusively to meet the Indian Air Force's requirements.
Pakistan has the option of getting some of the F-16 fighter jets free from the US under the $ 3 billion assistance announced by Washington in 2003.
Foreign Secretary S Jaishankar will be summoning US Ambassador Richard Verma to convey India's "displeasure".
India's ace shooter and first Olympics gold medalist Abhinav Bindra joined the elite VVIP list of fliers privileged to fly in a fighter jet.
"India should not give in to the double game being played by the US. They want to give these planes to Pakistan, and after strong reaction from our country they are saying we will give it to you as well," CPI general secretary A B Bardhan said.
As a result of which Pakistan would have to make arrangements for all USD 700 million (around Rs 46 hundred crore) to purchase eight F-16 from the United States.
Under the deal, Lockheed will shift its Fort Worth, Texas plant to India without directly affecting American jobs.
'One of the great assets that India has is its enormous intellectual content, enormous intellectual developmental content, and some of the things we need to be working on are unmanned systems, for example, the enormous opportunities for us to jointly partner and develop -- not simply sell our equipment to India -- but actually partner and develop in areas like drones, areas like advanced aircraft and even areas around certain missile systems, where we can have a win-win.'
"Selling military hardware to Pakistan -- with a generous subsidy from American taxpayers -- is no way to convince them to become responsible players in the international community and assist in the fight against terrorism," Rand Paul said.
The North American Aerospace Defence Command (NORAD) intercepted a group of bombers near Alaska, marking the first instance of joint Russian and Chinese operations prompting such a response from the United States, CNN reported, citing, a United States defence official.
The assurance comes in the wake of reports that India was concerned over US supplying a new set of F-16s to Pakistan, a decision that could be a crucial geopolitical factor when the Indian Air Force (IAF) decides on the $10 billion Medium Multi-role Combat Aircraft (MMRCA) tender, described as 'mother of all deals'.
Ratan Tata: A Life, the much awaited biography, reveals that after a year of 'parallel running', Tata began having second thoughts about Cyrus Mistry's 'suitability'. 'Mistry targeted Ratan, the man who had elevated him from virtual oblivion into the mainstream of the Tatas...'
"If India's requirements are beyond any existing fighters, we are prepared to make upgraded F-16s to India's specifications with complete transfer of technology," Mike Kelly, Senior Executive of Lockheed Martin said.
The Bush administration has approved an initial shipment of two F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.
A US Air Force spokesman also confirmed in Kolkata that 12 F-16 aircraft had already reached the Kalaikunda airbase.
The company wants to make F 16-Block 70 "for India, from India and export to the world".
In a two-page notification to Congress, the State Department said that upgrading the avionics, electronics and radar systems of Pakistan's older F-16s would 'increase the survivability of the aircraft in a hostile environment' and make the 'F-16s a more valuable counter-terrorism asset that operates safely during day and night operations'.
Following the row over financing, Pakistan seems to have failed to seal the deal for the purchase of eight F-16 fighter jets from the United States.
'The Pentagon has agreed to help suffice the country's defence needs to effectively check the imbalance of power being created by India,' Pakistan Defence Secretary Lt Gen (retd) Hamid Nawaz said.
Given Congressional objections, we have told the Pakistanis that they should put forward national funds for that purpose," US State Department spokesman John Kirby said.
SpaceX launched a reduced two-man crew to the International Space Station on Saturday, carrying supplies and two empty seats for Starliner astronauts awaiting a return home in February after an unplanned eight-and-a-half-month stay in orbit, CBS News reported.
The two nations had agreed on $700 million deal under which Pakistan was to pay $270 million (Rs 179 crore) from its national funds to purchase eight F-16s while the US was supposed to finance the rest of the amount from its Foreign Military Financing fund.
With this, Tata has now become the oldest Indian to fly the American-made aircraft. Tata, who holds a pilot's licence, had said the thought of the F-16 flight "excites me very much."
Pak to decide on F-16s after quake rebuilding estimates
The balance of power is not disturbed in the sub-continent by the US proposal, US Ambassador to India David C Mulford said.
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