Pakistani newspaper Dawn reported that, the US Congress has "stalled" a planned sale of eight new F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. US lawmakers are concerned over the end use of the F-16 fighter jets by Pakistan, and hence, have used clarification and information notices to delay the sale of the combat aircraft. The Obama administration has received a "hold" notice from the Senate, Dawn reported.

However, the sale of F-16s has been put only on "hold" and it can still go through if the administration continues to push for it, Dawn said.

Senior US government officials have been in close contact with their Pakistani counterparts in the aftermath of the attacks in Pathankot and Afghanistan's Majar-e-Sharif, urging them to take the right course of action which, if they do, would not only be a great confidence building measure but would also help to improve the relationship with India.

"They (Pakistan) have said publicly that they are going to investigate. They have said publicly that they are not going to discriminate between terrorist groups. We look to see actions to back up those words," the Obama administration official said.

"We understand this is a challenging time. This is a complicated relationship. We do not agree with Pakistan about everything. We look to see actions to back up those words," the Obama administration official added.

By Premji