Defense Minister Rajnath Singh raised concerns about the $686 million package to US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth at an ASEAN meeting

India has raised objections to a $686 million US package to upgrade Pakistan’s F-16 fighter jets and extend their service life, Indian media have reported.

Washington has gone ahead with the upgrade even as India and the US continue to deepen defense cooperation under a ten-year partnership framework signed last year. India and Pakistan, both nuclear-armed, clashed briefly last year with drones and missiles following a terror attack in Jammu and Kashmir that killed 26 civilians.

Indian Defense Minister Rajnath Singh, in his talks with US Secretary of War Pete Hegseth on Wednesday, also raised the possibility of sensitive American military technology supplied to Pakistan reaching third countries, the Economic Times reported, citing officials familiar with the discussions.…