In a two-page notification to Congress, the State Department said that upgrading the avionics, electronics and radar systems of Pakistan's older F-16s would "increase the survivability of the aircraft in a hostile environment" and make the "F-16s a more valuable counter-terrorism asset that operates safely during day and night operations."
However, the proposed upgradation of F-16's which Pakistan prizes more for their contribution to its military rivalry with India than for fighting insurgents along its Afghan border greeted with dismay and anger by US lawmakers who may block the move, the New York Times said.
The notification said the modernised systems would also increase the accuracy of the F-16s' support of Pakistani ground troops, lessening the risks of civilian casualties.
Lawmakers and their aides were quoted as saying that F-16s do not help the counter-terrorism campaign and defy the administration's urgings that Pakistan increase pressure on Al Qaeda and Taliban fighters in its tribal areas.
The timing of the action, the paper said, also caught lawmakers off guard, prompting some of them to suspect that the deal was meant to curry favour with new Pakistani prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani who will meet with President George W Bush in Washington next week.
The debate over the F-16 financing comes at a time when Congress has grown increasingly frustrated with the administration's Pakistan policy, arguing it has been weighted too heavily on security assistance.
