NEW DELHI: Defence minister Rajnath Singh Wednesday conveyed India’s concern to US secretary of war Pete Hegseth over Washington providing an F-16 fighter jet sustenance package and advanced military technologies to Pakistan, while cautioning against double standards on terrorism.Rajnath, while reviewing the progress of Indo-US defence partnership with Hegseth, told him that “India is strictly opposed to the US providing advanced fighter jet support package related to the F-16 programme to Pakistan”, sources told TOI about the talks held on the sidelines of the Asean Defence Ministers’ Meeting-Plus in the Philippine city of Cebu.Probably hinting at China and Iran, the defence minister also told Hegseth that “US providing sensitive technologies to Pakistan could end up in a third country”, the sources said.The US’s $649 million F-16 support and upgrade package for Pakistan involved avionics enhancements, cryptographic modules (including AN/APX-126 IFF systems), mission-planning tools, spare parts, simulators, training, and contractor logistics support from Lockheed Martin. With Pakistan harbouring terrorists, Rajnath also categorically told the US secretary of war that America should be wary of “double standards on terrorism”.Both leaders emphasised their joint resolve to eliminate the global menace of terrorism. Rajnath stressed that the global community must maintain an uncompromising, zero-tolerance approach towards nations that support, train or fund terrorist organisations. Hegseth reaffirmed the US’s unwavering solidarity and full support to India in its fight against cross-border terrorism. Rajnath expressed India’s deep appreciation for the consistent and strong support extended by the US.During their bilateral talks, Rajnath and Hegseth reviewed the progress of defence partnership and decided to expand military collaboration. “Both leaders reviewed the progress of the 10-year India-US Defence Framework and concluded by reaffirming their shared commitment to further elevate India-US defence relationship to strategic convergence,” the defence ministry said in a statement. Their discussions touched upon advancing military-to-military exchanges, augmenting maritime security collaboration, and integrating robust defence supply chains to further deepen and expand ongoing defence industry collaboration, it said.During their wide-ranging talks, Rajnath and Hegseth also reviewed the situation in the Indo-Pacific and fast-evolving regional security dynamics. Rajnath posted on X, “Had an excellent meeting with US secretary of war Pete Hegseth on the sidelines of the 13th ADMM-Plus. We reviewed the progress of our 10-year India-US Defence Framework… Our robust partnership continues to be a cornerstone for a free, open, and secure Indo-Pacific.”
