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US sale of F-16s to Pakistan likely to go through

Money issues. These replace the attrition losses over the years

The aircraft being acquired are Block-52s, to augment the current fleet of No 5 Squadron to bring it up to full strength since it also undertakes the training role for the Block-52s.

What's all the fuss about? It's not as if eight F-16s are going to change the balance of power. These are probably replacements due to attrition etc.

However, they are suitable for strikes against the likes of the TTP operating in adverse terrain. The ISIS is becoming a potent threat too and Pakistan would need all their resources at their command to prevent them from establishing themselves in the AfPak region and NW as they have already gained a foothold in neighboring Afghanistan.

No they are not replacements since PAF hasn't lost any of it's Block 52s in service.
They may not change the balance of power but they can certainly do a lot of damage to any aggressor, a fact known to the potential enemy.....these eight F-16s will no doubt cause more headache for India than the 15 Zulu Gunships.

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I think current military diplomacy i.e. trust building between US and Pakistan will help us to purchase some new military equipment and to supplement our F-16 and Cobra fleets. For a balanced and modern armed forces, Pakistani armed forces should maintain enough US military equipment percentage in its inventory. F-16 Block 52 should be inducted in numbers around 60-80. AH-1Z should also be inducted 25-30.
 
November 24, 2015, 2:46 pm
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WASHINGTON: The Obama administration is expected to formally notify the US Congress of its intention to sell eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan in December as efforts to stop it gather momentum. The notification, many believe, will set into motion a process that guarantees the sale, unless its opponents are able to muster enough votes, and interest in the issue, in Congress.

Earlier reports about the notification, in the run-up to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif’s US visit in October, were categorically and strenuously rejected by the White House. F-16s, multirole fighter jets made by US firm Lockheed Martin are seen as a symbol of US support to Pakistan in its fight against terrorism.

And reports about a proposal to sell eight more of them — Pakistan already has 70 — alarmed India and pro-India elements in the US, who launched a campaign to stop it. A showdown seems imminent with a notification coming in December.

But the state department, which clears the sale of US military hardware to foreign nations and notifies Congress, said Monday, “We have no specific announcement to make at this time.”

Besides, the spokesperson added, “as a matter of policy, we do not comment on foreign military sales until they are formally notified to Congress.” Operative words: “formally notified”.

If the administration gets no response from Congress within a specified period after the notification, the sale goes through. If the answer is no, the sale would stand blocked.

The administration sent Congress something called the Letter Of Offer (LOA), which has been variously described also as “informal notification” or “pre-notification”, in October.
That was around the time of the Sharif visit. An announcement was widely expected then, but none came. An official, in fact, denied reports Congress had been notified.

But the intention to sell the fighter jets, which in South Asia are seen as a symbol of US support and backing, was not denied.
Source: US sale of F-16s to Pakistan likely to go through
 
F16 is a marvel of plane. Easily the best 4th generation fighter plane to date. Pakistan should welcome every single F16 in her inventory.
 
Strategic? Since when is any F-16 variant a strategic aircraft?

Or do you mean that it can offer more than just tactical advantage to PAF?

US shouldn't sell nuclear-armed version of F-16 to Pak: Republican leadership
With the Obama administration contemplating selling nuclear-capable F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, the top Republican leadership has expressed concern and spoken out against the idea, saying that would "exacerbate things".
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F-16 fighter aircraft flying in formation. (Picture: Flickr/Lockheed Martin)
WASHINGTON : With the Obama administration contemplating selling F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, the top Republican leadership has expressed concern over it and said the US should not sell nuclear armed fighter jets to Pakistan.

"I think that (sale of F-16 to Pakistan) has to be reviewed carefully. I do not think that the nuclear armed version (of F-16) should be sold. That would exacerbate things," Newt Gingrich, the former Speaker of the US House of Representatives told Indian-Americans on the occasion of launch of Republican Hindu Coalition.

"Let's be clear, there is a direct tie between what happened in Paris and what happened several years ago in Paris. There is a common enemy, there is a common threat. And it is only appropriate that the world's largest democracy in numbers and world's largest democracy in military power should be natural allies, fighting on behalf of civilisation," the powerful Republican leader said.

Gingrich said it is important that the US does not accelerate any arms race in the region. "We should be very cautious. I am frankly very, very concerned about instability in the region and very, very concerned about the size of the Pakistani nuclear stockpile. We now live in a very dangerous world," he said.
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The former House Speaker said there is "a global war underway between Islamists supremacist and the rest of the civilised world." The alliance between India and the US and the deep commitment by the two countries is very important to this, he said.




Senator Kelly Ayotte, a member of the Senate Armed Services Committee, said it is important to address the challenge posed by radical Islamic terrorism. "We would continue to stand shoulder to shoulder to address this challenge facing us and the world," she said.




Responding to a question on sale of F-16 to Pakistan, Ayotte assured Indian-Americans that she would "carefully review" the proposal to sell F-16 to Pakistan. "I want to make sure that we are very careful about what we do," she said.




China, she said, poses another great challenge to the two countries. Both India and the United States believe that China should respect international law. China can't be allowed to bully its neighbours, she added.
Source: http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/world/us/US-shouldnt-sell-nuclear-armed-version-of-F-16-to-Pak-Republican-leadership/articleshow/49826432.cms?
 

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