WASHINGTON (Diya TV) — The Trump administration has approved a $397 million package to maintain Pakistan’s F-16 fighter aircraft, to guarantee the planes be used only for counterterrorism, officials who are aware of the decision state.
This financing will keep the Technical Security Team (TST), a team of American contractors that ensures Pakistan complies with end-use monitoring agreements. These agreements require the F-16s to be used for counterinsurgency and counterterrorism operations.
The move has sparked renewed fears, especially in India, of misuse of these planes. In 2019, while engaging in aerial battles over the disputed Kashmir region, Pakistan was said to have used F-16s against Indian troops, a step that would violate the conditions of the U.S.-Pakistan defense agreement.
In reaction to these claims, the U.S. State Department asked Pakistan to provide detailed information on the misuse of American-manufactured F-16s. Deputy Spokesperson Robert Palladino said, “We’ve seen those reports and we’re following that issue very closely.
This funding approval is part of a larger $5.3 billion foreign assistance package temporarily halted by President Trump’s January 2025 executive order. The release of funds for Pakistan is included in 243 exemptions, overwhelmingly military aid and arms sales directed by the State Department’s Bureau of Political-Military Affairs.
Critics think that extending such assistance to Pakistan would change the dynamics of regional security and U.S.-India relations. They stress the need for strict oversight to guarantee that the F-16s would not be used in conflicts against the terms of the agreement.
