Pakistan flouts US sales-agreement, Imran Khan's Minister says 'we purchased F-16 jets, we will decide where to deploy them'

Amid deepening tensions between India and Pakistan, Fawad Ahmed Chaudhry, a Minister in Imran Khan's cabinet in an exclusive interview to a media organisation professed that it is Pakistan's decision as to where the F-16 Aircraft would be deployed that were purchased from the United States under a specified agreement. 

Fawad Chaudhry, Minister of Information and Broadcasting defying the agreement of the fighter Aircraft told the media organisations, "We purchased them from America and didn't get them in a grant. So we'll decide where to deploy them."  

As per Pentagon's Defence Security and Cooperation Agency, according to the terms of sale of the Aircraft F-16 to Islamabad by Washington mandated that they could be used only for the purpose of "counter-terrorism operations, and specially for the insurgency in Afghanistan" and not against a country.   

Moreover, in the interview, Pak PM Imran Khan's Minister did not refuse the usage of F-16. 

This statement does not only breach the agreement but also comes contrary to Pakistan's stand who maintained that F-16 Aircraft were not used during their violation of India's airspace in a military retaliation to India's counter-terrorism strike on terror organisation Jaish-e-Mohammed, who claimed responsibility of the Pulwama attack.

This claim was dismissed already on Thursday by the pieces of evidence acquired by Indian security forces and during the press brief with the three chiefs of Defence forces it was stated that, "There is enough evidence to show F-16s were used in this mission and Pakistan is trying to hide this fact." 

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Apart from the proof procured by the Indian defence forces that debunked Pakistan's claim, it has another reason to lie. Considering the tensions between the two nuclear-nations, the US State Department said that the Trump government is closely monitoring the situation.  

Following the Pulwama attack, US President Donald Trump said that the United States stopped that $1.3 billion Dollars per year funding to Pakistan earlier, citing the reason that it was not helping the Western country and was taking advantage of the former Presidents of USA. 

"We stopped paying Pakistan the 1.3 billion dollars that we were paying them. We may set up some meetings with Pakistan. Pakistan was taking very strong advantage of the United States under other presidents and we were paying Pakistan 1.3 billion a year. I ended that payment to Pakistan because they weren't helping us in a way that they should have," Trump said.

Pakistan and terrorism

The United States President back in November last year in a series of tweets had slammed Pakistan for harbouring the world's most wanted man, Osama bin Laden back then.

While Pakistan has also refuted the claims of providing sanctuary to terrorists, Chaudhry confessed that terrorists have been inside Pakistan 'for over 30 years' and that its 'not easy to break terror networks' 

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He told the media organisation, "Pakistan is combating terrorism with internal jihadi groups but we are not with them. They’ve been here for over 30 years. The conflict with Afghanistan has repercussions. You know that even Osama bin Laden was killed here. It’s not easy to break these terror networks" 

Meanwhile, the another Minister from Imran Khan's cabinet asks for "solid" and "inalienable" evidence that can stand in a court of law from India, after admitting that Masood Azhar, Jaish-e-Mohammed is in Pakistan, who is responsible for multiple, repeated attacks on the Indian soil. 

"He is in Pakistan, according to my information. He is unwell to the extent that he can't leave his house, because he's really unwell," Qureshi told CNN when asked about Azhar.