F-35 for India? Pakistan fumes as Trump announces fighter jet deal

Pakistan has urged the global community to assess regional security risks, warning that it could disrupt the military balance and stability in South Asia

Pakistan has raised concerns after US President Donald Trump stated that his administration is working towards providing India with F-35 stealth fighter jets. During a meeting with Prime Minister Narendra Modi on Thursday, Trump announced plans to increase military sales to India, which could include the advanced aircraft, reported Hindustan Times.  

 

Pakistan has urged the international community to consider the regional security implications, warning that such a move could affect military balance and strategic stability in South Asia, according to the report.

 

A spokesperson for Pakistan’s Ministry of Foreign Affairs (MOFA) addressed the issue during a weekly press briefing on Friday, stating, "Pakistan is deeply concerned over the planned transfer of advanced military technologies to India. Such steps accentuate military imbalances in the region and undermine strategic stability." 

 

 

He further added, "They remain unhelpful in achieving the objective of a durable peace in South Asia. We urge our international partners to take a holistic and objective view of issues of peace and security in South Asia and refrain from endorsing positions that are one-sided and deviate from ground reality." 

 

India-US defence partnership expands 

 

The announcement comes as part of growing India-US defence cooperation, with President Trump and PM Modi discussing increased military collaboration.  

 

Speaking at a joint press briefing, Trump said, "Starting this year, we will be increasing military sales to India by many billions of dollars. We are also paving the way to ultimately provide India with the F-35, Stealth fighters." 

 

However, India's Foreign Secretary Vikram Misri clarified that while discussions are ongoing, no formal agreement has been made regarding the purchase of F-35s.

 

"On military sales to India, there is a process by which platforms are acquired. In most cases, a request for proposal is floated. There are responses to those. They are evaluated. I don't think with regard to the acquisition of an advanced aviation platform by India that process has started yet. So, this is currently something that's at the stage of a proposal. But I don't think the formal process in this regard has started yet," he said.

 

New defence initiatives and cooperation  

 

As part of their strategic partnership, India and the US have announced the creation of the Autonomous Systems Industry Alliance (ASIA), which aims to promote joint development of advanced defence systems, particularly in underwater domain awareness.  

 

Key discussions between the two countries also covered:  

 

- Enhancing cooperation across multiple military domains, including air, land, sea, space, and cyberspace.  

 

- Expanding joint training and military exercises, including the Tiger Triumph tri-service exercise, which will be conducted in India with a larger scale and complexity than previous editions. 

 

- Improving logistics, intelligence-sharing, and force mobility to strengthen their presence in the Indo-Pacific region.  

 

These initiatives are part of the US-India COMPACT for the 21st Century, a framework designed to advance military cooperation, accelerate trade, and foster technology partnerships between the two nations.

 

Trump announces extradition of 26/11 accused Tahawwur Rana 

 

Alongside discussions on defence cooperation, President Trump confirmed the extradition of Tahawwur Rana, an accused in the 2008 Mumbai terror attacks, to India for trial.

 

"I am pleased to announce that my administration has approved the extradition of one of the plotters (Tahawwur Rana) and one of the very evil people of the world, having to do with the horrific 2008 Mumbai terrorist attack to face justice in India. He is going back to India to face justice," Trump stated.  

 

Rana, a Pakistani-origin businessman, was convicted for his involvement in the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, in which David Headley, another conspirator, pleaded guilty and later testified against him.