ISLAMABAD, Pakistan: The Advisor to Prime Minister on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz has said that Pakistan requires F-16 fighter jets from the United States to combat terrorists; however, if issue of funding for aircraft sale to Pakistan is not resolved, they will consider other options.
Talking to media representatives in Islamabad on Tuesday, the advisor said that though the United States has stopped funding for the fighter jets but it is providing annually $265 million to Pakistan.
The adviser further said that the quadrilateral coordination group (QCG) is in contact with the Qatar office of Taliban for the revival of peace process in Afghanistan.
On Monday, the US State Department said that United States has told Pakistan it will have to finance the purchase of US F-16 fighter jets itself after members of the US Congress objected to the use of government funds to pay for them.
“Given congressional objections, we have told the Pakistanis that they should put forward national funds for that purpose,” the US State Department Spokesperson John Kirby said during his weekly press briefing in Washington on Monday.
Earlier while addressing a seminar on “Pakistan’s non-proliferation efforts and strategic export control system” in Islamabad on Tuesday, Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan’s nuclear programme is highly secure and capable to respond to all possible threats.
Sartaj Aziz said that Pakistan is committed to nuclear security and has been proactively engaged with the international community to promote nuclear safety and security.
The advisor said that Pakistan is a peace loving country but it was compelled to get nuclear deterrence in the face of growing threat to its security and integrity after Indian nuclear tests. However, he maintained, that Pakistan remains committed to nuclear non-proliferation and disarmament.
The foreign affairs advisor said that Indian fleet of nuclear submarine and Cold Start doctrine pose serious threat to the region. He added that all these developments have compelled Pakistan to maintain minimum nuclear deterrence.
