ISLAMABAD: US State Department approved the possible sale of F-16 aircraft sustainment and related equipment to Pakistan on Wednesday in a deal valued at up to $450 million, the Pentagon confirmed.

It is the first major security assistance approval to Pakistan from Washington after former US president Donald Trump’s administration, in 2018, announced ending security assistance to Pakistan. Washington alleged Islamabad was not taking concrete actions against militants.

“@StateDept authorizes a Foreign Military Sales #FMS case for #Pakistan for follow on effort and consolidation of prior F-16 sustainment and support cases to support the Pakistan Air Force F-16 fleet valued at up to $450 million,” the US State Department wrote on Twitter.

“Pakistan has requested to consolidate prior F-16 sustainment and support cases to support the Pakistan Air Force F-16 fleet by reducing duplicate case activities and adding additional continued support elements,” the Security Cooperation Agency of the US Department of Defense, in a statement on Wednesday, said.

However, it clarified that the proposed sale of the aircraft does not include any new capabilities, weapons or munitions.

“This proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the United States by allowing Pakistan to retain interoperability with US and partner forces in ongoing counterterrorism efforts and in preparation for future contingency operations,” the statement added.

It said the proposed sale would continue the sustainment of Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, which “greatly improves” Pakistan’s ability to support counterterrorism operations through its robust air-to-ground capability.

“The proposed sale of this equipment and support will not alter the basic military balance in the region,” it added.

In April this year, Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said the country enjoyed “excellent” ties with the United States and the best military equipment Pakistan had was from Washington.

“We had historically excellent relations with US,” the army chief said in a statement shared by the army’s media wing, the ISPR, quoting what Bajwa had said at a conference in Islamabad on April 05, 2020.

“The good army we have today is largely built and trained by US. The best equipment we have is American equipment. We still have deep cooperation with US and our Western friends.”

Washington has often berated Pakistan for doing too little to fight militants, even as thousands of Pakistanis have died at their hands and the army has lost more than 5,000 soldiers, according to government figures. Pakistan has been attacked for aiding Taliban insurgents while also being asked to bring them to the peace table.