However, for their own political reasons the senators did not approve tabling of a resolution suggesting blocking of sale of eight F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.
Even though considered to be procedural in nature, the Senate by a vote of 71-24 disapproved the move to bypass the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in deciding against sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan, Congressional sources told PTI that the voting of some two-dozen influential senators reflects the strong anti-Pak sentiment prevailing at the Hill.
In fact, cutting across the party line the senators were quick to point towards the "duplicity" behaviour of Pakistan and said in unanimous voice that they would not let Obama Administration to use tax payers' money for the sale of F-16 jets to Pakistan.
In fact, Senator Bob Corker, Chairman of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, which has jurisdiction over foreign military sale said that he would not lift the "hold" on the American subsidy for giving fighter jets to Pakistan.
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"Prohibiting a taxpayer subsidy sends a much-needed message to Pakistan that it needs to change its behaviour, but preventing the purchase of US aircraft would do more harm than good by paving the way for countries like Russia and China to sell to Pakistan while also inhibiting greater cooperation on counterterrorism," Corker said.
"If Pakistan truly wants to be our ally, if Pakistan truly wants to help in the war on radical Islam, it should not require a bribe. It should not require the American taxpayer to subsidise arms sales. They already have 70 F-16s. They've got an air force of F-16s," he said.
At a time when the US is having a USD 19 trillion in
"We don't have enough money to be sending it to Pakistan. I can't in good conscience look away as America crumbles at home and politicians tax us to send the money to corrupt and duplicitous regimes abroad," Paul said, whose resolution even during a procedural motion received the support of 24 Senators.
"If we move forward with these sales without putting some markers down, I think we potentially not only do damage to holding Pakistan's feet to the fire in terms of the threat of terrorists in Afghanistan and elsewhere in the region, but also potentially could do damage to one of the most important relationships our country has, and that is the strategic relationship between the US and India," Senator Mark Warner said.
"The US can no longer give Pakistan a pass, whether it is actions in the region vis-a-vis Afghanistan or within their own country but also in terms of their unwillingness to meet India even halfway in terms of trying to bring a greater stability to one of the regions that could potentially be a tinderbox in terms of the border regions between India and Pakistan," he said.
"But what I worry more is that these F-16s will provide cover, will provide substitute for truly meaningful action inside Pakistan to take on the roots of extremism. It is frankly too late in many respects to beat these extremist groups if they are so big, so powerful, so deadly that you have to bomb them from the air," he said.
"And we let them off the hook in a sense by selling them the weapons systems that will in effect constantly force the Pakistanis to chase their own tail. So I think it's important to understand that the Pakistanis are not making the real meaningful contributions to rooting out extremism and just handing weapons systems on the back end doesn't do the job," Murphy said.
"We've given USD 15 billion to Pakistan over the last decade. And yet their previous president admits that Pakistan armed, aided, and abetted the Taliban," he said.