US missile supply contract to Pakistan a diplomatic setback for the Centre: Congress

The Congress on Wednesday criticized the central government over the possibility of Pakistan acquiring AIM-120 Advanced Medium-Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM) from the US, calling it a diplomatic setback. Party general secretary Jairam Ramesh posted on ‘X’, “According to a US War Department public notification on military contracts dated May 7, 2025, advanced medium-range air-to-air missiles manufactured by Raytheon were to be supplied to Canada, Taiwan, Bulgaria, Hungary, Poland, Sweden, Czech Republic, South Korea, Kuwait, Japan, Finland, Germany, Britain, Italy, Netherlands, Norway, Belgium, Australia, Turkey, Spain and Lithuania.” He says that the US War Department public notification on military contracts dated September 30, 2025, includes the names of countries like Qatar, Oman, Saudi Arabia, Israel, Turkey and Pakistan for the supply of Raytheon air-to-air missiles. Taking a dig at the Modi government, the Congress leader said, “How quickly the diplomatic environment changes and how frequently diplomatic setbacks occur.” Pakistani newspaper ‘The Express Tribune’ had reported on Tuesday that Pakistan was among the buyers of AIM-120 AMRAAM in an arms contract recently notified by the US Department of War (DoW).