Author: PTI
Publication: The Pioneer
Date: June 6, 2009
http://dailypioneer.com/181201/Pak-built-up-army-against-India-with-US-military-aid.html
Pakistan has used a substantial amount of
military aid from the US meant to fight terrorism to build up its army with
modern weapons and equipment for a conventional warfare against India, Pentagon
documents have revealed.
All this was done with the knowledge of the
then Bush Administration, which not only provided USD 1.9 billion in Foreign
Military Financing (FMF) but also signed agreements with Pakistan for military
sales worth nearly USD 5 billion during the period, showed the documents accessed
by PTI.
The Pentagon documents also revealed that
a major post-9/11 American defence supply to Pakistan under FMF had nothing
to do with its fight against terrorism.
While the Taliban and al-Qaeda gained ground
in the tribal areas of Pakistan bordering Afghanistan, Islamabad bought eight
P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and their refurbishment worth USD 474
million. It also placed orders for 5,250 TOW anti-armour missiles worth USD
186 million. 2,007 of these have already been delivered and the rest are in
the process of being supplied.
Besides buying more than 5,600 military radio
sets worth USD 163 million, Pakistan bought six AN/TPS-77 surveillance radars
worth USD 100 million and six C-130E transport aircraft and their refurbishment
worth USD 76 million. Under the Excess Defence Articles (EDA), it was granted
20 AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters, which were then refurbished, according
to the Pentagon documents.
Pakistan also used a substantial chunk of
America's FMF to purchase up to 60 mid-life update kits for F-16 A/B combat
aircraft valued at USD 891 million. Of this, it paid USD 477 million from
the FMF funds given by the United States.
Similarly, of the USD 87 million worth order
for 115 M-109 self-propelled howitzers, it paid USD 53 million from FMF. And
all this happened while Pakistan's economic situation deteriorated.
Islamabad also paid a whopping USD 1.43 billion
to the US to purchase 18 new F-16 combat aircraft and another USD 629 million
for F-16 armaments.
Prominent among these are 500 AMRAAM air-to-air
missiles; 1,450 2,000-pound bombs; 500 JDAM tail Kits for gravity bombs and
1,600 Enhanced Paveway laser-guided kits, also for gravity bombs. F-16 has
not been delivered to date.
Pakistan also paid USD 298 million for 100
Harpoon anti-ship missiles; USD 95 million for 500 sidewinder air-to-air missiles
and USD 80 million for six Phalanx close-in-naval guns.
