Islamabad:
Pakistan confirmed on Friday the measure of the Trump administration to release $ 397 million as part of the “end user agreement” on F-16 combat aircraft between the two countries.
“The F-16 supervision program is a regular characteristic of Pakistan-United States defense collaboration under the” End User Agreement “and Pakistan welcomes its continuation,” said the spokesman for the Ministry of Foreign Affairs, Shafqat Ali Khan.
The official confirmation occurred after the reports suggested that the Trump administration issued $ 397 million for a program backed by the United States in Pakistan to ensure that F-16 combat planes manufactured in the United States were used for anti-terrorist operations and not against its Indian rival.
The spokesman attributed the development to the “robust and strong” ties of decades with the United States.
“Our desire is to continue with this important relationship. The two parties are already committed through diplomatic channels. Pakistan remains committed to carrying this relationship forward,” Shafqat said.
Regarding the president’s comments about the weapons of what his weapons took away, the spokesman said that Pakistan had expressed concerns about sophisticated weapons in Afghanistan.
“We have been raising our concerns about the fact that these sophisticated weapons are reaching the hands of terrorists who carry out terrorist activities in Pakistan,” he said.
“We have impressed this issue before the international community and the Afghan authorities,” he added.
Pakistan also also officially commented on the closure of the crossroads of key borders with Afghanistan in Torkham.
“On the border of Torkham, essentially the problem is that the Afghan side is trying to build a border post on our side unilaterally and we have urged them to solve such problems through the bilateral mechanism, such as the meeting of the Joint Coordination Committee, instead of resorting to unilateral actions,” Shafqat told reporters.
“We hope that the matter will be resolved through dialogue,” he added.
The border crossing remained closed since last Friday by a checkstation that was built by the Afghan Taliban without taking into account Pakistan. The closure has interrupted bilateral trade, as well as the movement of people who frequently use the crossing to transmit between the two countries.
Meanwhile, the spokesman confirmed that eight Pakistani nationals, who had remained illegally in the United States, returned to Pakistan
“On the broader policy, any Pakistani who is illegally abroad, we try to facilitate their return, but there are certain established procedures. If it is discovered that a person remains illegally, we first confirm their nationality. Once nationality is confirmed, we accept our nationals,” he explained.
