US Tells India Arms Sales to Pakistan Will Continue

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www1.voanews.com/english/new...Sales-to-Pakistan-Will-Continue-99115139.html

The top U.S. military officer told Indian leaders Friday the United States will continue to sell weapons to Pakistan, and that the sales do not pose a threat to India.

Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Admiral Mike Mullen says he is confident the weapons the United States is selling to Pakistan are being used for their intended purpose - to fight al-Qaida and related terrorist organizations. But he says he urged Indian leaders to continue to discuss their concerns with him and other U.S. officials.

"We certainly understand the concerns and at the same time I don't believe that we've sold any weapons to Pakistan which greatly imbalance the capability between the two countries."

The admiral said the United States does not monitor the exact location or use of each item it sells to Pakistan, but his confidence they are being used properly is based on the increased trust between the U.S. and Pakistani governments built up in recent years.

U.S. officials also noted that the United States has sold sophisticated weapons to India, and is working on more sales, possibly including fighter jets.

Admiral Mullen praised recent improvements in U.S.-Indian relations, including an agreement signed Friday by the American ambassador and India's Home Minister to create a Counterterrorism Cooperation Initiative. The initiative includes a plan for cooperation on cyber security, which Admiral Mullen cited as a key area for U.S.-Indian cooperation.

The admiral welcomed the recent India-Pakistan dialogue, but said he was "discouraged" when the talks broke down. And he said he shares concerns about the activities of Pakistan's intelligence service, the ISI, which has been accused of supporting terrorist groups including the Haqqani network in Afghanistan and Lashkar-e-Taiba, which carried out the Mumbai attacks in 2008. Mullen says the ISI needs to "fundamentally change" its strategic approach.

"The ISI is an organization that has operated within Pakistan in concert with what it believes are its own national interests. And at the same time, there's an awful lot about them that I don't know," he said.

The admiral said some elements of the ISI clearly operate on orders from the Pakistani government, but he could not say whether all the group's activities are under the government's control.

Admiral Mullen said he expresses his concerns about ISI to Pakistani leaders on a regular basis, and he will do so again when he meets them later in this trip through the region.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/Can-t-monitor-military-aid-to-Pak--US-to-India/650991

Can't monitor military aid to Pak: US to India

The US has virtually rejected India's demand for a monitoring mechanism on military aid being given to Pakistan for the fight against terror. At the same time, it has also raised concerns about the links the ISI has with terror outfits and said that the strategic approach of the Pakistani spy agency needs to fundamentally change.

The US Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff Admiral Mike Mullen said that there are concerns about "the links the ISI has". He admitted that there is a lot about the Pakistani spy agency that the US does not know and added that the matter is being taken up in all "engagements" that the US has with Pakistan. This comes after the Indian government revealed that there is fresh evidence to show the ISI and LeT planned and executed the terror attack in Mumbai together.

However, Mullen, who met Defence Minister A K Antony and Chairman of the Chiefs of Staff Committee Air Chief Marshal P V Naik virtually rejected an Indian demand for a monitoring mechanism on the same.

 

[ajtr]

Does india's business deal and nuke co-operation with iran causes any threat to usa?BTW india is outside NPT and its not binding on india so sure india can co-operate i think.

 

[ajtr]

This is how Obama admin must be seriously shown india's unpleasure.X-posting from indo-iran relation thread.

India ignoring Washington as it woos Iran​

Until recently, when the choice emerged between Iran and the U.S., India would side with the U.S. But the Obama administration's callous attitude toward India is pushing India toward Iran, and that could have grave geopolitical consequences. Ignoring Washington, India recently signed several agreements with Iran, including an air services agreement and a memorandum of understanding on new and renewable energy aimed at increasing trade from $15 billion to $30 billion.

America's Afghanistan policy has caused consternation in Indian policymaking circles. A fundamental disconnect has emerged between U.S. and Indian interests with regard to Af-Pak. The Obama administration has systematically ignored Indian interests in crafting its Af-Pak priorities. While actively discouraging India from assuming a higher profile in Afghanistan, for fear of offending Pakistan, the U.S. has failed to persuade Pakistan to take Indian concerns more seriously.

While the U.S. may have no vital interest in determining who actually governs in Afghanistan — so long as Afghan territory is not used to launch attacks on U.S. soil — India does. The Taliban — good or bad — oppose India in fundamental ways. The consequence of abandoning the goal of establishing a functioning Afghan state and a moderate Pakistan will be greater pressure on Indian security. To preserve its interests in this milieu, India is now coordinating more closely with states like Russia and Iran.

With the Obama administration's credibility in India at an all-time low, New Delhi is left with few options, which include engaging with states that Washington doesn't like.

 

[thakur_ritesh]

Does india's business deal and nuke co-operation with iran causes any threat to usa?BTW india is outside NPT and its not binding on india so sure india can co-operate i think.

absolutely the point, just the way the US wants us to see the reason behind arms supply to pakistan, in doing so they are not entirely ready to address our concerns and want us to be convinced that such weapons will not be used against us, similarly the US needs to be told in no uncertain terms that iran fulfills our energy needs and all the deals and trade we do with them in now way hurt their interests, and seriously its not as if we are selling weapons to iran.

i think we should go ahead with our deals with iran irrespective of what the US has to say on it and see, will they sanction our companies that get into trade with that country, if they do then the argument that the US will not sanction us at the time of a war with pakistan looses steam and for the mmrca deal and attack helicopter deal we better look for reliable partners. let this be the litmus test of the US's credentials on how seriously they take india as a partner nation of future.

 

[NikSha]

*shocked*

Oh noes! USA not giving a rats ass about the future of India? Who would have ever guessed...

In the other news, "sky is blue", US tells India. Manmohan Singh consults Sonia on this new discovery as Sonia calls for high priority party meeting on Sunday.

 

[ajtr]

India, Iran distrustful of renewed Afghan-Pakistan ties​

NEW DELHI -- Recent moves by Afghanistan and Pakistan to improve their once-frosty relationship have prompted deep concern in other countries in the region and led some to consider strengthening ties to Afghan President Hamid Karzai's political rivals.

The U.S. government considers the Afghan-Pakistan overtures essential to combating insurgencies wracking both nations. But India, Iran and Afghanistan's northern neighbors fear that they are a step toward fulfilling Karzai's desire to negotiate with Taliban leaders and possibly welcome some of them into the government.

These nations believe that Karzai's plans could compromise their security and interests by lessening the influence of Afghanistan's Tajik, Uzbek and Hazara ethnic minorities with whom they have cultivated close links, diplomats and government officials say.

The apprehension, voiced pointedly by senior Indian officials in interviews this week, has emerged as yet another challenge for the U.S. government as it seeks to encourage new initiatives to stabilize Afghanistan while minimizing fallout on the already tense relationship between India and Pakistan.

In an attempt to assuage those concerns, the Obama administration's special representative for Afghanistan and Pakistan, Richard C. Holbrooke, traveled here Wednesday to meet with India's national security adviser and foreign secretary. The chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, Adm. Mike Mullen, arrived Thursday for two days of meetings with top military and civilian leaders.

The Indians have been riled by a series of recent meetings involving Karzai and Pakistan's top two security officials: the army chief, Gen. Ashfaq Kiyani, and the intelligence director, Lt. Gen. Ahmed Shuja Pasha. On Sunday, Afghanistan and Pakistan signed a trade agreement that allows Afghan trucks to drive through Pakistan to the Indian border. Indian officials had wanted to send their own trucks through Pakistan to Afghanistan, but the Pakistani government insisted they not be included in the negotiations. U.S. officials hailed the deal as a major step forward in the relationship between Afghanistan and Pakistan and a vital development for Afghanistan's economy.

Of greater concern to the Indians is Karzai's interest in reconciling with elements of the Taliban leadership. Because of the Taliban's historic ties to Pakistan's intelligence agency, Indian officials believe that such a move would give Pakistan new influence in Afghanistan.

Allowing the Taliban, which is dominated by ethnic Pashtuns, to have a role in the Afghan government is something "we don't think is a very good idea," a senior Indian government official said. "It's not that there are two equal political factions, with equal legitimacy, that have a right to political power. Karzai is the elected president. Not the Taliban. It should not be a question of negotiating a place at the table for them."

The Indian government, the official said, disputes "suggestions that come from the Pakistanis that the Taliban is legitimate, they represent the Pashtuns and therefore you need to deal with them and negotiate with them. That's the difference. We don't think they represent the Pashtuns."

Compounding India's pique is the fact that it believed it had cultivated close ties with Karzai. India has opened four consulates in Afghanistan, even though relatively few Indian citizens live there, and invested $1.3 billion in development projects -- far more than Pakistan has.

"The Indians are shell-shocked," said a Western diplomat involved in Afghanistan policy. "They went in with more than a billion dollars, and now Pakistan is eating their lunch."

U.S. officials are trying to persuade the Indians to abandon their traditional zero-sum logic that what's good for Pakistan must be bad for them. "You cannot stabilize Afghanistan without the participation of Pakistan as a legitimate concerned party," Holbrooke said at a meeting with Indian journalists here.Speaking to reporters on his flight here, Mullen said that "the whole region has a role to play" in Afghan reconciliation but that the Kabul government must take the lead.

In his meetings, Mullen sought to assure Indian officials that the U.S.-led counterinsurgency strategy was on track and that the United States has a long-term commitment to assist Afghanistan. "India, perhaps more than any outside country, has the greatest stake in our success in Afghanistan," one U.S. official said.

The United States, Mullen told reporters, is not "looking for the door out of Afghanistan or out of this region."

But Indian officials remain deeply mistrustful of Pakistan's motivations in Afghanistan. The Pakistanis, officials here contend, have deftly capitalized on Karzai's fears of abandonment by the United States -- fueled in part by his misinterpretation of President Obama's pledge to begin drawing down forces by July 2011 -- by offering to help forge a deal with an insurgency that his army and NATO forces have been unable to defeat.

"Pakistan wants to be able to control the sequence of events in Afghanistan," a second senior Indian official said. "We don't want a situation that would entail a revision to pre-2001, with backward-looking people taking the reins of power in Kabul."

Iran, which is predominantly Shiite Muslim, is also worried about any greater political role for leaders of the almost exclusively Sunni Taliban, many of whom regard Shiites as apostates. Diplomats in New Delhi say Iran has encouraged India to send more of its assistance to provinces in northern and western Afghanistan that are under the control of warlords and other power brokers who were part of the anti-Taliban Northern Alliance. The diplomats said that India has not shifted its efforts, much of which were already directed at the north.

Whether the Taliban is genuinely interested in reconciliation is questionable. CIA director Leon Panetta said last month that he saw no clear indications that insurgent leaders wanted to engage in peace talks with the Afghan government.



Mullen echoed that assessment, saying he does not believe reconciliation is imminent. "We've got to be in a position of strength," he said. "We're just not there yet."

 

[NikSha]

So basically, thanks to USA, Pakistan is eating our lunch. GG!

 

[Oracle]

The best way to bite back would be to kick out American companies out from MRCA deal. They are out anyway I guess :happy_2:

 

[LETHALFORCE]

The best way to bite back would be to kick out American companies out from MRCA deal. They are out anyway I guess :happy_2:

The nuclear deals are 10 times bigger than the MRCA. USA wants 100% loyalty from India and they are giving 50% loyalty to India.

 

[nrj]

If I am not wrong it started with "India tells US to monitor arms to Pak" & then mighty statement by US "Not possible to monitor weapons sales to Pak". US admin doesn't like someone guiding it the right path. Funny how they will realize this in the long-run. :angry_1:

 

[hit&run]

I hate when people support USA for few hifi gadgets and are hell bent to ignore Indian sensitivities. Just recently India was snubbed for disclosing headly's revelation to Pakistan. Why our spineless congress I govt is so in American pocket shamelessly. Why America is our Idol, when we can still do better without USA.

 

[Oracle]

Funny how they will realize this in the long-run. :angry_1:

If US have not realized this even after 9/11, they never will.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

I think India needs to stay with it's traditional allies in Asia, Russia,Iran, and Central Asian states etc... When India officially joins SCO all the love story between USA and India will be over. The strategic partnership was over when Obama came to power.

 

[nrj]

If US have not realized this even after 9/11, they never will.

Its not the US Gov but mostly the US citizens who will suffer like they've suffered in past. US used astan before now it became biggest threat to them. US is using Pak now, eventually it'll put US in crisis.

 

[SHASH2K2]

I was a supporter of F18super Hornet but after seeing USA insensitivity we should not buy any US plane and go for Rafale or Eurofighter .
It will send them a right message that donot take our politeness as our weakness.
no one is indispensable in todays world and Indian growth will not stop due to USA not being with us. If we need them they also need us . so relationship should be based on equality.
I also accept the fact that USA has to deal with a beggar and blackmailer named as Pornistan but there is limit that USA should have in mind.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Its not the US Gov but mostly the US citizens who will suffer like they've suffered in past. US used astan before now it became biggest threat to them. US is using Pak now, eventually it'll put US in crisis.

By ignoring India USA is losing on two fronts on the war on terror and any future and certain conflicts against China.

 

[Oracle]

I think India needs to stay with it's traditional allies in Asia, Russia,Iran, and Central Asian states etc... When India officially joins SCO all the love story between USA and India will be over. The strategic partnership was over when Obama came to power.

I agree LF.
Has the Indo–Soviet Treaty of Peace, Friendship and Cooperation expired?. If so, India should renew it. This would be a tight slap in the face of hypocrisy and double standards.

 

[nrj]

I think India needs to stay with it's traditional allies in Asia, Russia,Iran, and Central Asian states etc... When India officially joins SCO all the love story between USA and India will be over. The strategic partnership was over when Obama came to power.

Practically India can not isolate itself to any extent from US ties now. I say why India should stay back? GOI should have policy to use US. Like US is using every nation. Indian policy makers should be smart enough to understand US moves & it should gain the benefits of US ties while achieving its long term goals.

 

[nrj]

By ignoring India USA is losing on two fronts on the war on terror and any future and certain conflicts against China.

Obama administration has lost all the global influence & political gain it had after the soviet fall. I doubt if it has any leverage left with its allies anymore. How this administration is thinking of coming back to power after 2 years?