U.S. senator does not expect Pakistan F-16 sale to be blocked

U.S. Senator Ben Cardin, the top Democrat on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, said on Wednesday he does not expect an upcoming vote on a $700 million sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan to keep the deal from going ahead.

However, he said there was still discussion of whether U.S. taxpayer funds could be used to finance the purchase.

President Barack Obama’s administration announced on Feb. 12 that it had approved the sale of the Lockheed Martin Corp (LMT.N) aircraft as well as radars and other equipment to Pakistan.