US Seeking Information on Misuse of the F-16 by Pakistan

The US State Department is seeking information on the misuse of Americanmade F-16 fighter jets by Pakistan against India in violation of the end-user agreement. The Indian Air Force on February 28, displayed parts of an AMRAAM beyond visual range air-to-air missile as evidence to ‘conclusively’ prove that Pakistan deployed US-manufactured F-16 fighter jets during an aerial raid targeting Indian military installations in Kashmir after India’s anti-terror operation in Balakot. Earlier, Pakistan had categorically said that no F-16 fighter jets were used and denied that one of its planes had been downed by the IAF. The US which is the largest seller of high-tech defence equipment globally and has a strong enduser monitoring agreement, as a matter of practice takes all allegations of misuse of defence equipment very seriously. According to Pentagon’s Defence Security and Cooperation Agency (DSCA), F-16 jets were meant 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 on its use of F-16 aircraft.