At a hearing of the Middle East-South Asia Sub-Committee of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, Chairman Gary Ackerman questioned whether the sale of the F-16s should be terminated if Pakistan “does not do more to eliminate the safe haven” that terrorists have found on its soil.

Earlier, three US lawmakers also introduced a legislation in the Senate asking the Bush Administration to link future military aid to Pakistan to the progress by Islamabad on crackdown on al-Qaeda and Taliban within its territory. “Military aid to Pakistan should be guided by demonstrable progress in achieving certain objectives related to counter-terrorism and democratic reforms,” read the resolution submitted by Senators Chris Dodd, John Kerry and Joseph Biden.

However, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs Richard Boucher said the administration was “moving forward” with the sale of the jets and some paperwork for it had already been completed.

Ackerman, a former co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, said the sale of 18 F-16s “isn’t just a carrot. It’s whole carrot patch. And we should have strong expectations (from Pakistan).”

Boucher reiterated the Bush administration’s opposition to certain provisions of a resolution that has pegged future military aid and arms sales to Pakistan to a presidential determination that Islamabad is cooperating “fully” in the fight against terrorism. “We do think it’s important for the US and Pakistan to position themselves as partners in this effort. And we think that this provision would undercut that. The F-16 sale is proceeding, some of the work has been concluded... some of the necessary paperwork, and we’re moving forward with the sale,” he said.

The US plans to sell 18 F-16s to Pakistan to boost its ageing fleet of some 30 jets of the same make that were acquired in the 1980s. Washington has also offered Islamabad an option to purchase a further 18 F-16s and upgrade its existing fleet.

Boucher said the administration believed the resolution’s provision “conditioning assistance to Pakistan” was not “productive”. “We think it’s counter-productive to the important goal of fostering more cooperation with Pakistan against a common enemy, against the Taliban, al-Qaeda and militant extremism.”