ISLAMABAD: Pakistan’s foreign office on Thursday described the US state department’s approval for a possible sale of sustainment and related equipment for F-16 fighter jets as “a step in the right direction” after the Pentagon confirmed such a deal was in the works to help the South Asian country.

The foreign office reacted to the development during its weekly news conference after the US authorities mentioned a notification to Congress wherein the state department endorsed the possible sale to bolster Pakistan’s capability to meet current and future counterterrorism threats by maintaining its F-16 fleet.

It is the first major security assistance approval to Pakistan from Washington after former US president Donald Trump’s administration decided to end such cooperation in 2018 while alleging that Islamabad was not doing enough to deal with armed militant factions targeting American soldiers in Afghanistan.

“We have noted this development, that this proposal has been sent to Congress for notification, and we think this is a step in the right direction,” foreign office spokesperson Asim Iftikhar Ahmed told the media briefing.

“It will contribute to further solidifying, and strengthening our bilateral relations,” he continued, adding other developments were also taking place between the two countries that would positively impact their bilateral relationship.

Earlier, the state department mentioned its authorization to the foreign military sale to Pakistan in a Twitter post.

“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 defense department said in a statement on Wednesday.

However, it clarified the proposed sale of the aircraft equipment would 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” the country’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,” the statement continued.

Pakistan’s army chief General Qamar Javed Bajwa said in April the country enjoyed “excellent” ties with the US, adding the best military equipment to his country had also been supplied by Washington in the past.

“We had historically excellent relations with the US,” the army chief was quoted as saying by the military’s media wing, ISPR, after he addressed a conference in Islamabad.

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