E-Paper
F16 not to reduce India's advantage
US Defence Department assured Congress that Pak's F-16 jets would not reduce India's military advantage.
The US Defence Department has assured Congress that the weapons systems requested by Pakistan for F-16 jets would not reduce India's quantitative or qualitative military advantage as the capability already exists in the region.
Notifying the Congress about the kind of weapons Pakistan has requested for the jets, it said "Purchase of these weapons systems would not significantly reduce India's quantitative or qualitative military advantage.
"Release of the weapons systems will neither affect the regional balance of power nor introduce a new technology as this level of capability or higher already exists in other countries in the region", the Pentagon said.
The Bush administration has approved the sale of 18 new F-16 fighter jets with an option of offering 18 more to Pakistan.
According to the Department of Defence's notification Pakistan had sought major defence equipment including: 500 AIM-120C, 5 Advanced Medium Range Air-to-Air Missiles (AMRAAM); 12 AMRAAM training missiles; 200 AIM-9M-8/9 SIDEWINDER missiles;500 Joint Direct Attack Munition (JDAM) Guidance Kits: GBU-31/38 Guided Bomb Unit (GBU) kits; 1,600 Enhanced-GBU-12/24 GBUs/. MORE
"Given its geo-strategic location and partnership in the Global War on Terrorism Pakistan is a vital ally of the US, as reflected in the June 2004 designation of Pakistan as a Major Non-North Atlantic Treaty Organization Ally.
"This proposed sale will contribute to the foreign policy and national security of the United States by helping an ally meet its legitimate defense requirements. These weapon systems will be used for close air support in ongoing operations contributing to the global war on terrorism," the Pentagon has maintained.
"Consistent with US Conventional arms transfer policy and arms control initiatives, this potential sale will allow the Pakistani Air Force to modernize its aging fighter and weapons inventory, thereby enabling Pakistan to support both its own air defence needs and coalition operations.
The Republican administration has officially denied the linkage between the F-16s package and the civilian nuclear agreement with India.
However, the timing of the announcement is significant in that it coincided with the passage of the civilian nuclear deal in the Senate Foreign Relations Committee by a solid bipartisan majority of 16 to 2.
