Ex-Foreign Secretary Accuses US Of Arming Pakistan Against India: 'We Have To Craft...'

Last Updated:December 11, 2025, 08:23 IST

Raising concerns over the US's packages to Pakistan, former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal accused the United States of arming Pakistan against India.

Former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal

The Trump administration recently notified the US Congress of a proposed USD 686 million upgrade package for Pakistan’s F-16 fleet. The move drew sharp criticism from several lawmakers and close attention in India as the package enters a mandatory 30-day review period.

Raising concerns over the US’s packages to Pakistan, former Indian Foreign Secretary Kanwal Sibal accused the United States of arming Pakistan against India.

He further added that New Delhi needs to craft a suitable response in the area of defence ties with Washington.

Taking to X, Kanwal wrote, “In Feb 2025, the US announced almost $400 m of upgrades for Pakistani F16s. In Oct 2025, the US announced supply of AM RAAM missiles to Pakistan. Now, in December 2025 the US has announced a $686m F16 upgrades for Pakistan."

“China is arming Pakistan against India and the US has begun that too. This was to be expected following Trump’s courting of his favourite Pakistani Field Marshal. We have to craft a response carefully in the area of defence ties with the US," he added.

Meanwhile, Executive Director of the Observer Research Foundation America, Dhruva Jaishankar, has stated that one of the key challenges in India-US relations is Washington’s renewed engagement with Pakistan’s military leadership.

He made these remarks at the House Foreign Affairs South and Central Asia Subcommittee’s hearing titled “The US-India Strategic Partnership: Securing a Free and Open Indo-Pacific."

Speaking about India’s concerns, he said, “The second challenge in India relates to the United States’ renewed engagement with Pakistan’s military leadership. Pakistan has a long and well-documented history of using non-state terrorist proxies against India."

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