Since ‘war on terror,’ Pakistan imported more arms from US than previous 50 yrs
OK, which terrorists are out practicing maneuvers in their fleets of ships and columns of tanks?
We're arming an unpopular dictator in a huge Muslim country which has nuclear weapons. Anyone sense some blowback coming from this one? Even without the whole India issue, it's a risky move. It will be interesting when we have to go to war with them to look back and see who was in favor of arming them, so everyone chime in.
...This startling data figures in a report prepared for the US Congress last week based on a study by the US Congressional Research Service (CRS) and raises concerns that the aid Pakistan receives from US under the “war on terror” package may be more suitable for gaining conventional advantage over India.
In fact, last year alone, the value of imports was $3.49 billion — the value of total imports from 1950 to 2001 was $3.63 billion.
“The rise of Pakistan to its new status as a major arms purchaser from the United States is particularly noteworthy given the difficulties the United States has had with Pakistan since the 1970s over its successful effort to produce nuclear weapons,” the report notes.
...
The report notes that while the main reason for the huge leap is the $1.4-billion deal to purchase 36 F-16 fighters, other major deals include 115 Self-Propelled 155-mm Howitzers, a possible cause for worry to India as it is already decades behind in its artillery modernisation plan.
Other big-ticket agreements include six C-130 military transport aircraft, surveillance radars, military radios, and interestingly over 2000 TOW anti-tank missiles, 100 Harpoon anti-ship missiles, three Hawkeye Airborne Early Warning systems and an equal number of maritime patrol aircraft.
“The Department of Defence has characterised F-16 fighters, P-3C patrol aircraft, and anti-armor missiles as having significant anti-terrorism applications, claims that elicit skepticism from some analysts,” says another recent CRS report on US-Pakistan relations.
OK, which terrorists are out practicing maneuvers in their fleets of ships and columns of tanks?
We're arming an unpopular dictator in a huge Muslim country which has nuclear weapons. Anyone sense some blowback coming from this one? Even without the whole India issue, it's a risky move. It will be interesting when we have to go to war with them to look back and see who was in favor of arming them, so everyone chime in.