First Field Marshal Munir, now air chief Zaheer Babar, how Pakistan and US are resetting military ties

After last month's visit by Field Marshal Asim Munir, PAF chief is meeting with US senior military officials. ThePrint takes a look at the history of US-Pakistan military ties.

Flags of the US and Pakistan for representational purpose | Reuters

New Delhi: Pakistan Air Force chief Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu visited the US Wednesday after a 10-year hiatus, as military ties between the two countries have seen a reset in recent weeks following Operation Sindoor.

Last month, Pakistan’s Army Chief Field Marshal Asim Munir was welcomed to the White House by President Donald Trump, where the two had a lunch meeting that lasted for over two hours. Munir’s visit set the stage for Pakistan officially nominating Trump for the Nobel Peace Prize a couple of days later, on the eve of the US’ use of its military to strike at Iranian nuclear sites–Fordow, Natanz and Isfahan.

The growing thaw in the US-Pakistan military ties under Trump’s second term has gathered pace since India’s military strikes at terrorist bases within Pakistan, including Bahawalpur, the headquarters of the Jaish-e-Mohammad and Muridke, home to the Lashkar-e-Taiba. Both organisations are proscribed by the United Nations Security Council (UNSC).

Pakistan was the US’ main strategic partner in South Asia from the 1970s until the end of the Cold War. Former President Richard Nixon’s fondness for Pakistan’s leader Yahya Khan, led to the two countries coming together in 1970, followed by a partnership built on thwarting the USSR’s invasion of Afghanistan through the 1980s.

However, by the end of the Cold War, ties seemed to come to a standstill, over Pakistan’s nuclear proliferation programme. The moribound ties were turned around following the 9/11 terrorist attacks in the US, which led to the start of the Global War on Terror. However, in the last few years, ties had seemingly been frozen, especially during Trump’s first tenure as Washington sought to pivot towards India as its strategic partner in the region.

Pakistan’s sudden reappearance on the US’ military map in South Asia has led to questions over India’s ties with the world’s largest economy. External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar Wednesday when asked about the growing relationship between Washington and Islamabad, at a press conference, deflected, pointing out that India – US ties were not built in relationship to a third country.

“The central factor in the relationship between India and the United States is India and the United States. It is our complementarity in many ways. It is the benefits that we get from a closer relationship that is actually driving it. It is not, you know, big relationships are not forged in terms of third countries and where they fit,” Jaishankar said.

“So, I would really urge you to get over the idea that we need to define ourselves vis-a-vis third countries in order to forge ahead somewhere. That is not the case.”

While that may be the case for India, Pakistan’s military ties with the US were originally spurred over the need for balance in power in South Asia vis-a-vis New Delhi.

Last month, Army General Michael Kurilla, the commander of US Central Command (CENTCOM), referred to Islamabad as a “phenomenal partner in countering terrorism” during an appearance at a hearing of the US House Armed Services Committee. Kurilla further made the case of partnering with both India and Pakistan for ensuring the security of the US’ interests.

1954-2001, a history of military ties

By 1964, Pakistani President Mohammed Ayub Khan famously remarked that Islamabad is “America’s most allied ally in Asia,” in an opinion piece in Foreign Affairs.

From the first Mutual Defence Assistance Agreement in 1954, Pakistan joined the Baghdad Pact (later renamed as the Central Treaty Organisation, or CENTO) a year later, and also signed up to the Manila Pact (Southeast Asia Treaty Organisation or SEATO).

Between 1953 and 1961, reports indicate that Pakistan received around $2 billion in aid from the US, with a quarter of it being linked to military support. After the 1965 India-Pakistan war, the US imposed a ban on the transfer of weapons to both New Delhi and Islamabad.

However, on 8 October 1970, President Nixon allowed for a one-time exception of transfer of military equipment to Pakistan, based on Islamabad’s role in aiding Washington’s opening to China, notes author Srinath Raghavan in the book, ‘1971: A Global History of the Creation of Bangladesh.’

By 1979, the US administration under President Jimmy Carter re-imposed a suspension of military aid on Pakistan, as Islamabad sought to build a nuclear bomb. However, the USSR invasion of Afghanistan changed Washington’s plans. Pakistan became a key partner in the supply of the Afghan mujahideen, which took the fight to the Soviets in Afghanistan, supported by the US and Saudi Arabia, notes the American think tank Council on Foreign Relations.

Early in Ronald Reagan’s presidency, the US announced the sale of 40 F-16 A/B combat fighters for Pakistan. However, in 1985, the US Congress, worried about Pakistan’s march to a nuclear bomb, passed the Pressler Amendment that required the US President to certify that Islamabad did not possess a weapon of mass destruction when providing assistance to the South Asian nation.

In 1990, with the end of the Cold War, President George H.W. Bush again suspended American military assistance to Pakistan, withholding roughly 28 F-16s that Islamabad purchased in 1989.

The Global War on Terror

The US’ war on terror following the September 2001 terrorist attacks, brought Islamabad into Washington’s strategic thinking once again. President George W. Bush secured authority from the US Congress to waive restrictions on aid with Pakistan.

In 2004, Pakistan was designated a “Major non-NATO ally” which gave it further access to America’s defence complex. In 2006, Pakistan bought 36 new F-16 C/D aircrafts, along with the release of the 28 previous pending planes from the 1989 deal, as well as engines for the planes, and upgrade kits, along with Sidewinder missiles and a limited number of Harpoon anti-ship missiles.

A report by the Congressional Research Service (CRS) indicates that between 2002 and 2020, Pakistan received over $34 billion in aid from the US. Roughly $23 billion of American aid was security related, with $8.2 billion being directly related to military aid, while a further $14.5 billion were “Coalition Support Fund” reimbursements, for offering key support to US military operations.

The remaining $11 billion were economic related aid given by the US during the eighteen-year period. Around $4 billion of the total aid to Pakistan was under “foreign military financing” or FMF, which allows the US President to finance procurement of defence articles for foreign countries. FMF procurement can be both on grant basis or repayable as a loan.

However, in 2018, Trump during his first tenure suspended security aid to Pakistan, especially under CSF. The Biden administration in 2022 allowed $450 million in security assistance to be sent to Pakistan for the maintenance of the F-16 fleet.

Earlier this year, Trump allowed $397 million to be sent to Pakistan, despite instituting a freeze on foreign aid early in his tenure. The aid was a part of Biden’s original plan of sending money to Islamabad for the upkeep of the F-16 fleet.

(Edited by Tony Rai)