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www.newsindiatimes.com – that’s all you need to know Community India, US Seal $946 Million Sustainment Deal For Navy’s MH-60R ‘Seahawk’ Fleet T he United States an- nounced a significant step in defence cooperation with India after New Delhi signed a sustainment package for the Indian Navy’s MH-60R “Se- ahawk” helicopter fleet. India’s Ministry of Defence has approved a contract worth approx- imately US$946 million to support 24 MH-60R helicopters produced by Lockheed Martin. The agree- ment aims to improve long-term operational readiness, strengthen interoperability with US forces, and enhance maritime security in the Indian Ocean region. In a post on X, the US State Department said, “Great news in our defence relationship with India. India’s Ministry of Defence signed a sustainment package for its 24 MH- 60R Seahawk helicopters, developed by Lockheed Martin. This $946 mil- lion package will enhance the Indian Navy’s maritime capabilities, build interoperability with the U.S. and regional partners, and make both our nations safer and more prosperous.” India purchased the helicop- ters under a Foreign Military Sales agreement in 2020 and has inducted approximately 15 aircraft to date. The MH-60R Seahawk is a multi- role maritime helicopter capable of anti-submarine warfare, anti-surface missions, search-and-rescue, surveil- lance and ship-based operations. The sustainment package is expected to increase helicopter avail- ability and reduce maintenance time, enabling operations from coastal facilities and naval ships. It will also help India establish local mainte- nance infrastructure, reduce reliance on foreign service providers, and integrate helicopters more effectively into maritime operations. Equipped with long-range sen- sors and compatible weapons, the MH-60R enhances India’s ability to detect submarines, protect sea lanes, support carrier groups and respond to maritime threats. It was inducted into the Indian Navy in 2021, with deliveries beginning, and the first squadron, INAS 334, was commissioned at INS Garuda in Kochi. For surface missions, the helicopter can carry AGM-114 Hellfire missiles, lightweight torpedoes, and machine guns, supported by advanced radar and electro-optical systems to identify and engage hostile surface targets. Its anti-submarine warfare systems include dipping sonar, sonobuoys, multi-mode radar and the Mk-54 torpedo. Often called the “Romeo,” the MH-60R Seahawk is used by the US Navy and partner nations world- wide, serving as a versatile platform for surveillance, search-and-rescue, medical evacuation and warship- based missions. -ANI PHOTO:PIBVIA ANI Indian National Sentenced To Prison For $1 Million Medicare Fraud Scheme - Continued On Page 7 A n Indian national convicted of health care fraud was sentenced December 2, 2025, in .S. District Court in Seattle to two years in prison, announced U.S. Attorney Charles Neil Floyd. Mohammed Asif, 35, was arrested on April 10, 2025, at Chicago O’Hare International Airport while attempt- ing to board an international flight. On September 4, 2025, Asif pleaded guilty to conspiracy to commit health care fraud in connection with the operation of American Labworks LLC, a diagnostic testing laborato- ry in Everett, Washington. Asif conspired with others to bill Medicare for COVID-19 tests and other respiratory illness tests that had not been ordered or performed. At the Dec. 2 sentencing hearing U.S. District Judge James L. Robart said the fraud amount, $1,174,813, “was a significant amount of money. It was money that was siphoned out of the Medicare system that is designed to treat the elderly and the poor… (The defendant) lacks moral character as a knowing partici- pant in the fraud…He is someone the public needs to be protected from.” Asif was ordered to pay $1,174,813 in restitution. He will likely be deported following his prison term, the Justice Department press release said. According to records filed in the case, theWashing- ton Secretary of State has American Labworks being formed in October 2021 and dissolved in March 2025. Indian Navy’s MH 60R ‘Seahawk’ multi-role helicopter. Congresswoman Jayapal Leads 42 Lawmakers In Demanding Action In Wake Of Worsening Human Rights Conditions In Pakistan U nited States Representatives Pramila Jayapal (WA- 07) and Greg Casar (TX-35) sent a letter to U.S. Secretary of State Marco Rubio November 3, 2025, urging the administration to take concrete action to hold Pakistan’s military accountable and call for the release of political prisoners. Forty two Members of Congress signed on the letter to Rubio. Elected in 2016, Congresswoman Jayapal is now serv- ing her fifth term in Congress representingWashington’s 7th District. She is the first South Asian American woman elected to the U.S. House of Representatives. “In recent years, U.S. citizens and residents who have spoken out against authoritarian abuses in Pakistan have faced threats, intimidation, and harassment — often ex- tending to their families in Pakistan,” wrote the Members. “These tactics include arbitrary detentions, coercion, and retaliatory violence, targeting diaspora individuals and their relatives. These actions infringe upon the right to freedom of expression […], further, they set a dangerous precedent for foreign interference on U.S. soil.” As Pakistan faces an escalating crisis of authoritarian- ism, democratic institutions have been dismantled, and opposition leaders have been held without charge and denied fair trials, Jayapal et al noted. Pakistanis have been arrested for social media posts, and those living in other countries, including the United States, have been threat- ened or had their family threatened for exercising their right to free speech, the US lawmakers said. The letter calls for “real” steps to be taken to address these issues. “We urge you to swiftly impose targeted measures, including visa bans and asset freezes, against officials responsible for transnational repression, widespread human rights violations, and systematic repression in Pakistan,” continued the Letter. “We have called out transnational repression in other countries before and will continue to do so; the same principled approach must be applied here.” The letter was signed by Donald S. Beyer, Jr. (VA-08), Joaquin Castro (TX-20), Judy Chu (CA-28), Yvette D. Clarke (NY-09), Steve Cohen (TN-09), Herbert Conaway (NJ-03), Joe Courtney (CT-02), Madeleine Dean (PA- 04), Rosa DeLauro (CT-03), Mark DeSaulnier (CA-10), Lloyd Doggett (TX-37), Maxwell Frost (FL-10), Jesús G. “Chuy” García (IL-04), Steven Horsford (NV-04), Jonathan Jackson (IL-01), Henry C. “Hank” Johnson Jr. (GA-04), Ro Khanna (CA-17), Raja Krishnamoorthi (IL-08), John Lar- son (CT-01), Summer Lee (PA-12), Zoe Lofgren (CA-18), Stephen Lynch (MA-08), Sarah McBride (DE-AL), James P. McGovern (MA-02), Richard Neal (MA-01), Eleanor Holmes Norton (DC-AL), Johnny Olszewski (MD-02), Ilhan Omar (MN-05), Frank Pallone, Jr. (NJ-06), Ayanna Pressley (MA-07), Jamie Raskin (MD-08), Jan Schakowsky (IL-09), Lateefah Simon (CA-12), Suhas Subramanyam (VA-10), Eric Swalwell (CA-14), Bennie G. Thompson (MS-02), Rashida Tlaib (MI-12), Marc Veasey (TX-33), JamesWalkinshaw (VA-11), DebbieWasserman Schultz (FL-25), MaxineWaters (CA-43), and BonnieWatson Coleman (NJ-12). The letter is available here: https://jayapal.house.gov/ wp-content/uploads/2025/12/Pakistan-TNR-Letter_Dec- 2025.pdf By a StaffWriter PHOTO:FACEBOOK @CONGRESSWOMN PRAMILA JAYAPAL Congresswoman Pramila Jayapal at a rally December 3, 2025. News India Times (December 6, 2025 - December 12, 2025) December 12, 2025 6 US Affairs