The US decision not to sell F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan not only has taken the policy makers at New Delhi by surprise but the move had cemented the Indo-US ties further. The $700 million deal comprises eight nuclear-capable F-16s. The rationale the fighter especially nuclear-capable would be used in combating terror defies all logic. India had objected to the deal by expressing the fear of arms race in the continent. While Obama continued to speak about the importance of Indo-Pak reconciliation in a general way, he recognised the importance of avoiding the Kashmir issue. Obama also stepped up counter-terrorism cooperation with India after the attacks on Mumbai at the end of November 2008. He also pressed the Pakistan Army to shut the terrorist camps on its soil to international terrorism outfits like Lashkar-e-Taiba and to bring the plotters of the Mumbai attacks to justice. This did not have much of an impact on Pakistan. As Obama came to terms with the fact that the Pakistan Army was playing both sides of the street in the war on terrorism, he stepped up the pressure on Rawalpindi by expanding the drone strikes on the terrorist sanctuaries in the tribal borderlands of Pakistan. Obama also authorised increased Special Forces operations across the Durand Line into Pakistan. The new tensions between the United States and Pakistan boiled over when Obama ordered a raid on Osama bin Laden’s hideout in the garrison town of Abbottabad without the permission of Islamabad. Rather than express contrition, however, the Pakistan Army saw the operation as a violation of its sovereignty and retaliated by ordering US military and CIA personnel out of the country. The US in turn threatened to cut off military aid to Pakistan. Whether Indian lobby really spoiled the game for Pakistan is hard to tell, but it appears the US is not satisfied by the Pakistan’s effort to curb terrorism and insurgency inside her territory. New Delhi will be relieved with the present stand of the Obama Administration.
