US clears $686 million F-16 package for Pakistan: Why Trump-Munir bromance is concerning for India | Explained

(FILES) Pakistan Air Force F-16 fighter jets perform at a rehearsal ahead of Pakistan's national day parade in Islamabad on March 21, 2024. (Photo by Aamir QURESHI / AFP)

The United States has approved a USD 686 million package to modernise and support Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jet fleet, a move that has raised strong concern in India given Islamabad’s long history of misusing American military equipment against New Delhi. The US Defence Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) informed Congress that the package will cover technical support, mission equipment, communications upgrades and sustainment for Pakistan’s F-16s, which Washington continues to describe as essential for counterterrorism operations.

For India, this argument has never been convincing. Pakistan’s F-16s have repeatedly been used against India, most notably during the 2019 Balakot crisis. New Delhi sees the latest American approval as yet another attempt to bolster Pakistan’s combat capabilities under the guise of counterterrorism. Analysts quoted by Firstpost warned that the upgrade will only “strengthen Pakistan’s offensive air capabilities” at a time when Islamabad has shown no intent to curb terrorist groups operating from its soil.

The 686-million-dollar package includes advanced sensors, communications equipment, software upgrades, and technical and logistic support for Pakistan’s entire F-16 fleet.

This covers both the older Block 15 aircraft and the more advanced Block 52 jets, which Pakistan often deploys during heightened tensions with India. The package also ensures long-term sustainment of the fleet, allowing Pakistan to keep its most sophisticated Western fighter operational for years.

DSCA said the sale will help Pakistan maintain “interoperability” with US forces and support its “counterterrorism” goals. India does not accept this claim. Pakistan’s F-16 operations have never been focused on counterterrorism. These jets are deployed almost exclusively against India or kept as deterrence assets along the western front.

India views Washington’s decision as strategically problematic for several reasons:

During the 2019 aerial confrontation, Pakistan used a US-supplied F-16 to target Indian military assets. Pakistan denied doing so, but the US later confirmed that all aircraft in the Pakistani inventory were accounted for only after the engagement, indirectly supporting India’s claim. Upgrading this fleet gives Islamabad greater confidence to escalate future confrontations.

The United States continues to invoke counterterrorism to justify military assistance to Islamabad, despite Pakistan’s well-documented record of sheltering and supporting terror groups that target India. New Delhi sees the US reasoning as outdated and out of step with ground realities.

Newer avionics, advanced mission computers and improved data link systems will allow Pakistan’s F-16s to operate more effectively in contested airspace. Such upgrades are clearly useful in state conflict scenarios, not in counterterror missions.

Pakistan’s military relationship with China has deepened significantly in recent years. Strengthening Pakistan’s Western platforms indirectly strengthens the China-Pakistan military axis, which remains one of India’s biggest strategic challenges.

The DSCA has insisted the sale will not alter the regional military balance. India strongly disagrees with this assessment. Pakistan’s F-16 is the only advanced American fighter in South Asia outside India. Even incremental upgrades improve Pakistan’s air defence network and enable higher readiness levels.

Some analysts believe Washington is trying to retain influence over Pakistan’s military as Islamabad grows more dependent on China. However, India sees this logic as outdated and dangerous. Helping Pakistan maintain a high-performance combat fleet only rewards a country that has a long track record of duplicity.

New Delhi is expected to convey its concerns directly to Washington. India has consistently argued that US support for Pakistan’s F-16s undermines regional stability and encourages Islamabad’s aggressive behaviour.

Pakistan has been pushing hard for renewed American military support at a time when its economy remains weak and its political establishment is unstable. For India, this is precisely why US assistance is a problem. A financially fragile Pakistan with upgraded F-16s becomes more prone to adventurism rather than restraint.

India’s concern over the F-16 upgrade is heightened by what appears to be an increasingly close rapport between US President Donald Trump and Pakistan’s military leadership, particularly Field Marshal Asim Munir. Reports have emerged of secret discussions involving Trump, Munir and Pakistan’s political leadership that spanned strategic, defence and economic topics. These back-channel conversations reportedly included former Prime Minister Shehbaz Sharif and focused on enhancing US engagement with Pakistan on issues ranging from mineral exploitation to broader geopolitical cooperation.

The renewed Washington-Islamabad dialogue followed Trump’s clear interest in Pakistan’s mineral wealth, including the vast Reko Diq copper and gold reserves in Balochistan. The US has pledged up to 1.25 billion dollars for the Reko Diq project, an investment that critics say carries significant political and security risks for both Washington and Islamabad given the region’s volatility and Pakistan’s history of governance challenges. Pakistan’s military influence over national policy has ensured that Munir remains a central figure in shaping the terms of these engagements.

For India, the optics of Trump and Munir maintaining a smooth working relationship are troubling because it suggests that the United States may be willing to offer strategic and economic incentives to Pakistan without demanding substantial reforms in Islamabad’s behaviour. This perceived bonhomie reinforces the fear in New Delhi that Pakistan’s military establishments continue to benefit from US support despite their long record of hostility toward India.

The USD 686 million F-16 upgrade package gives Pakistan a significant boost at a time when it continues to harbour anti-India terror groups and refuses to address long-standing grievances along the Line of Control. While the United States frames the sale as support for counterterrorism, India sees it clearly for what it is: a misjudged step that strengthens Pakistan’s military capabilities, undermines regional stability and ignores the country’s long record of using American weapons against India.