US Seeks Info on Pak’s Potential Misuse of F-16 Jets Against India

IAF officials display parts of F-16 missile.

(Photo: PTI)

The US is seeking more information about the potential misuse of American-made F-16 fighter jets by Pakistan against India in violation of the end-user agreement, the State Department said on Saturday, 2 March.

The Indian government has claimed that Pakistan used F-16s against Indian military installations in Kashmir on Tuesday, 27 February.

According to the State Department, the US has not only prohibited Pakistan from using the F-16 against India in offensive operations, but also iterated that any such use must first seek the US government’s approval.

The F-16 fighter jets can only be used for anti-terrorism operations.

The Indian Air Force (IAF), in a joint statement with the Indian Army and the Indian Navy on Thursday, displayed parts of an AMRAAM air-to-air missile to "conclusively" prove that Pakistan deployed F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid.

Pakistan on Wednesday categorically said that no F-16 fighter jets were used.

US Says It Takes Allegations of Misuse Very Seriously

"We are aware of these reports and are seeking more information," a State Department spokesperson told PTI when asked about reports that Pakistan had violated end-user agreement with the US in using the F-16s.

The US, the largest seller of high-tech defence equipment globally, has a strong end-user monitoring agreement, and as a matter of practice, takes all allegations of misuse very seriously.

"Due to non-disclosure agreements in Foreign Military Sales contracts, we cannot discuss the specifics of end user-agreements contained within," Lt Col Kone Faulkner, a Defense Department spokesperson, told PTI.

The F-16 aircraft was shot down by an ageing MiG-21 Bison of the IAF. This was the first aerial dogfight between the two air forces since the 1971 Bangladesh Liberation War.

Pak’s F-16 Use Must Be Approved by US: State Dept

According to Pentagon's Defense Security and Cooperation Agency (DSCA), F-16 jets were meant to be used to "enhance Pakistan’s ability to conduct counter-insurgency and counterterrorism operations".

Publicly available documents reveal that the US has imposed nearly a dozen restrictions on Pakistan related to its use of F-16.

During a congressional hearing on 20 July 2006, John Miller, the then-assistant secretary of state for Political Military Affairs, had told lawmakers that the US has "very carefully considered the potential risks of the diversion of US technology and equipment”.

“There is a two-man rule, so to speak, for access to this equipment and restricted areas, and F-16 flights outside of Pakistan or participation in exercises and operations with third nations must be approved in advance by the US government.”

John Miller, former Assistant Secretary of State for Political Military Affairs

While the exact details of the restrictions were discussed in a closed-door session, and thus remains classified, Miller then broadly outlined some of the restrictions, which he said were over a "dozen new and unprecedented elements" of the security plan for Pakistan.

Miller then told lawmakers that the security provisions also include semi-annual inventories of all F-16 aircraft equipment and munitions, including related technical data, and more frequent inventories for other systems.