Is pakistan blocking U.S F-35 Sale to neighboring country ?? indian defence media claims

Defence affairs analysis

In a development that signals rising tensions in the South Asian airpower landscape, Pakistan’s Air Force chief has reportedly urged the United States not to proceed with a proposed sale of F-35A stealth fighters to India, warning that such a move could dangerously tilt the regional strategic balance.

According to multiple reports from Indian defence media, Air Chief Marshal Zaheer Ahmed Baber Sidhu voiced this request during his recent official visit to Washington — a visit that marked the first by a Pakistani air chief to the U.S. in over a decade.

During the trip, ACM Sidhu held closed-door discussions with his U.S. counterpart, General David W. Allvin, and engaged with senior American military and political leadership, although the exact timing of the visit remains classified.

Indian outlets allege that ACM Sidhu expressed direct concern that U.S. approval for India to acquire the F-35A — a fifth-generation multirole stealth fighter developed by Lockheed Martin — would significantly erode the aerial balance of power in the subcontinent.

“The Pakistani Air Force Chief conveyed that the U.S. approval of the F-35A sale to India would severely destabilise the regional air power balance in South Asia,” the reports stated.

The Pakistani military is said to be growing increasingly uneasy over media reports suggesting that the Indian Air Force (IAF) is seriously evaluating the acquisition of either the F-35A or Russia’s Su-57 Felon, both of which would drastically elevate India’s strategic strike and air dominance capabilities.

ACM Sidhu’s warning reportedly coincides with Islamabad’s own upcoming fifth-generation fighter acquisition — the Chinese-built J-35A, set to enter service with the Pakistan Air Force (PAF) in early 2026.