WASHINGTON: Pakistan is finally on the verge of resolving its F-16 imbroglio with the United States.
At the remote Davis Monthan Air Force Base in arid Arizona, 28 relatively new but not-so-gleaming F-16 fighter jets are being handed out of a desert storage facility and dusted off. Although painted with the Pakistan Air Force insignia, the planes, made to order by Lockheed for Pakisun, are being lined up for sale to a third party.
More than four years after the Presser Amendment scuttled a $1.4 billion deal for the supply of 71 F 16’s to Pakistan, the United States is moving to resell the 28 fighter planes.
But now Pentagon has the go-ahead of the very man whose Congressional legislation blocked the deal. Confirming that Senator Pressler had welcomed the Clinton administration’s efforts to find a buyer for the Pakistani planes, a Congressional aide said the Republican Senator thought it a realistic approach. “They might as well move ahead with the disposal of these plunes, because as far as I am concerned, the Prossler Amendment is here to stay.” the Senator was quoted as saying, Now Pentagon is talking to potential buyers like Saudi Arabia, Oman, Philippines, Thailand, Indonesia and Morocco. Although why any Air Force in the world would want to buy jels rotting in the parking bay for five years is anyone’s guess. Unless they do it as a favor to Pakistan or US or both.
The Pak F-16’s first began to be manufactured in 1991 at a Lockheed plant in Fort Worth, Texas. The lastor the 28 planes was delivered only two months ago after Lockheed realized that there was no urgency with the order since the Pressler Amendment arrested the deal.
The manufacturing company has collected its money from the US Government and washed its hands of the deal.
Article extracted from this publication >> February 17, 1995
