Pak looking up to US to match India's military might: Haqqani

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/P...match-India--s-military-might--Haqqani/579961

Pak looking up to US to match India's military might: Haqqani

Pakistan is looking up to the US to help it match India's plans to spend USD 100 billion on weapons systems in the coming years to modernise its military, the country's Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani has said.

He said Pakistan has also started negotiating with the US for an agreement on nuclear technology on the lines of the deal Washington had signed with India and others.

"India is our main concern as it is buying weapons worth USD 100 billion from five countries and to balance this, we will have to depend on the US. India has 5,500 tanks and there is a question against whom they will be used," Haqqani told a group of journalists at the Governor's House here late last night.

"We cannot be assured by statements from the other side of the border that India will not wage a war against us," the diplomat said.

Pakistan will get another batch of 16 F-16 fighter aircraft in June, Haqqani said.

On nuclear technology, he said: "The US is not sceptical about our nuclear programme. The talks between Pakistan and the US for cooperation on the atomic programmes are underway.

"And we want the US to have an agreement with us like the one it had with India on civil nuclear technology."

Explaining why Pakistan has to look up to the US for enhancing its military capacity and capability, he said European countries offered no soft terms for selling weapons to the country.

"We have to largely depend on the US for defence-related matters," he said.

"We have also sought drone technology from the US. On the one hand our innocent people are losing their lives and on the other, Taliban leaders like Baitullah Mehsud get killed in drone attacks," he said.

Haqqani said Islamabad had also made it clear to Washington that it should ensure a strengthened and Pakistan-friendly regime in Kabul before US forces left the neighbouring country.

"Ties with the US are important for a secure, stable and prosperous Pakistan," he said.

Though the expectations of Pakistan and the US may not be the same, both are indispensable for each other, he said.

 

[GokuInd]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/P...match-India--s-military-might--Haqqani/579961


Haqqani said Islamabad had also made it clear to Washington that it should ensure a strengthened and Pakistan-friendly regime in Kabul before US forces left the neighbouring country.

"Ties with the US are important for a secure, stable and prosperous Pakistan," he said.

Though the expectations of Pakistan and the US may not be the same, both are indispensable for each other, he said.

Regarding Pakistan's policy vis-à-vis Afghanistan in the past and given this statement by Haqqani, clearly nothing has changed the old Pakistani mindset about reaching "strategic depth"!

 

[LETHALFORCE]

as far as the nuclear trade goes, we have done little to no buisness with USA so it makes little to no difference to us even if USA does give pakistan a deal and it also means NPT is a joke.

 

[xebex]

India has 5,500 tanks and there is a question against whom they will be used.

whomever want to question the sovereignty of India.

PS: Now, Just bcoz we have hammer doesnt mean everything we see look like nail, Mr. Haqqani.

 

[hit&run]

One must understand that Pakistan's borrowed military might is by product of American sensitivity for Afghanistan. First the reason was Russian invasion. This time it is WOT. As we say in India "Khat ke handi bar bar nahi charti'' the same can be expected for this situation. For how many times they be able to quench the same might from USA as an interested party in this region. Furthermore as we will grow as a conventional military power the Pakistani nuclear bluff will be exposed more faster. It is a good sign that Pakistan is more desperate to invest more resources to match Indian capabilities. It is a first sign that we are winning the war without a war.
Also I would expect same from Indian policy maker not to match china in desperations, there are many ways to engage with Chinese inferiority complex.

 

[sob]

One question for Mr.Haqqani, where will you get the money from. The US has deep pockets but they are not Kuber with an never ending treasury.

For a country which is surviving on dole from the international community, the talk of US$ 100 Billion, is straight from the cuckoo land.

 

[p2prada]

Pakistan is looking up to the US to help it match India's plans to spend USD 100 billion on weapons systems in the coming years to modernise its military, the country's Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani has said.

This statement sounds like they want to auction Pakistan.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

why would USA continue to donate to Pakistan when Afghanistan war on terror will probably lost at some time in the near future??

 

[LETHALFORCE]

http://www.defenseindustrydaily.com/pakistan-requests-115-m109a5-selfpropelled-howitzers-01645/

Pakistan Receives 115 M109A5 Self-Propelled Howitzers

India’s artillery replacement programs may be stuck, but Pakistan has had more success. On Dec 16/05, The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency announced [PDF] Pakistan’s official request to buy 115 used M109A5 155mm self-propelled howitzers as well as spare and repair parts, support and test equipment, publications and technical documentation, personnel training and training equipment, Quality Assurance Team, and other support. The total value, if all options are exercised, was stated as $56 million.

On Feb 13/10, the US Embassy in Islamabad announced delivery of the last 48 upgraded M109A5s, to the Malir Cantonment in Karachi. This completed the 115 vehicle order. As the release noted: “The FMS/FMF case was initiated by Pakistan in 2006 and enabled the Government of Pakistan to obtain the cannons from the United States at a greatly discounted rate.”

That is true because the equipment was already in storage, and considered to be surplus. No contractor was involved, just a Technical Assistance Field Team (TAFT) and U.S. Government Quality Assurance Team for 1 year to check out the equipment, followed by 2-week TAFT intervals twice annually, to participate in program management and technical reviews. Pakistan already operated earlier model M109A2 self-propelled howitzers. They used this buy to re-equip existing units, and retire older artillery pieces.

 

[Yusuf]

Yeah right he looks to the US to match indias military. Tomorrow he can go tell the americans that they want economic parity too so the US should pump in a trillion dollars a year and more.

 

[ppgj]

Yeah right he looks to the US to match indias military. Tomorrow he can go tell the americans that they want economic parity too so the US should pump in a trillion dollars a year and more.

after matching india, if they want parity with the US?? oooooooooooooooooooo

 

[Vinod2070]

Funny, they never make such demands of their all weather friend!

The friend won't give no shyt for free and they dare not even ask. They remember only the great shaitan for alms.

 

[ajtr]

USA has always hedged pakistan against india for past 63 yrs thats no big secret.Pakistan knows how to milk uncle.For Pak co-operation in afpak pakistani want uncle to prop them again against india by supplying weapons,civil nuke deal etc along with kashmir and at the same time uncle must differentiate between terror groups who are attacking west and usa.for terrorists attacking india uncle wants us to talk to pakistan but then uncle himself is not willing to talk to alqaida and osama bin laden.India buying weapons from uncle in certain term financing the weapon which uncle gives to pak for free.Over dependence of congress and bjp govts in past one decade on uncle wrt to pak has compromised india's strategic interest and independent foreign policy wrt iran afghanistan china etc.Today indian govt seems to have no idea left wrt to terrorism and pakistan problem except for making love to pak after every terrorist attack and do aman ka tamasha.following hindustan times cartoon aptly describes uncle's perfidy.

hindustan times cartoon :uncles,s perfidy




US Arms Sales are propping up Pakistan as a Regional Challenger

The American ambassador in Islamabad has said that the US Defence Department is considering the sale of 12 unarmed drones to Pakistan to encourage it to cooperate in the war on terror. It is not beyond Pakistan’s technological capability to arm these UAVs with air-to-ground missiles for use in conventional conflict.

A few months ago, Air Chief Marshal Rao Quamar Suleman, Chief of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF), had accepted the first F-16 Block 52 aircraft on behalf of his nation at the Lockheed Martin facility at Fort Worth, Texas. The remaining aircraft will be delivered in 2010. The total order, worth US$5.1 billion, is for 12 F-16Cs and six F-16Ds. When this transfer is completed, it will raise the total number of F-16s in service with the PAF to 54. The Pakistan Air Force received its first F-16, in the Block 15 F-16A/B configuration, in 1982.

Earlier, the US Defense Security Cooperation Agency had notified Congress of a Foreign Military Sale to Pakistan of 115 M109A5 155mm self-propelled howitzers as well as associated equipment and services. The total value, if all options are exercised by Pakistan, could be as high as $56 million.

This is not the first time that the US has offered major arms packages to Pakistan, nor will it be the last. The United States had co-opted Pakistan as a frontline state in its fight against communism during the Cold War and armed it with Patton tanks, F-86 Sabre Jets and F-104 Starfighters, among other weapons and equipment. Despite strong US assurances, all of these were used against India. US-Pakistan cooperation was expanded further when the former Soviet Union occupied Afghanistan. In the 1980s, the CIA gave Pakistan huge quantities of weapons for the Afghan mujahideen. These included shoulder-fired Stinger surface-to-air missiles, some of which were recovered by the Indian Army from Pakistan’s terrorist mercenaries in Kashmir. However, as soon as the last Soviet tank left Afghan soil, the United States dropped Pakistan like a hot potato and slapped sanctions on it.

Post-September 11, the United States not only ignored Pakistan’s nuclear proliferation but also its emergence as the new hub of Islamist fundamentalist terrorism. It also tolerated General Musharraf’s dictatorial regime because it suited US national interests in the war against terrorism. The US designation of Pakistan as a Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) in March 2004 had irritated Indian policy planners because Indo-US relations had just begun to improve. The “next steps in strategic partnership” (NSSP) had been announced only in January 2004 and India was looking forward to a comprehensive engagement with the United States. The Indo-US strategic partnership is now on a firm footing, but developments such as the sale of major conventional arms to Pakistan run the risk of damaging the growing relationship.

The sale of conventional arms to Pakistan ostensibly to fight terrorism has been criticised even in the United States. A Congressional Research Service (CRS) report has questioned the sale: "It (the F-16 Block 52) incorporates advanced weapons and avionics for air-to-air combat that appear unnecessary for counterinsurgency operations. Less expensive and less sophisticated aircraft such as attack helicopters, unmanned aerial vehicles, and combat search and rescue aircraft would appear to have greater utility in combating insurgents and other non-state actors than supersonic fighter aircraft." It is another matter that Pakistan has been actually using fighter aircraft to strike targets on ground in Swat and South Waziristan. These are tactics that are bound to generate a severe backlash against its armed forces, as has been witnessed in a spate of attacks against senior army personnel in Islamabad and Rawalpindi.

The United States justifies arms sales to Pakistan on several grounds. Besides the need to continue to retain Pakistan’s support in the hunt for al Qaeda and Taliban terrorists, the United States realises the fragility of the civilian regime in the face of Islamist hardliners in the army, the ISI and the country. It sees the Pakistan Army as a stabilising force in a country that is being gradually Islamised beyond redemption. The United States feels that it must do all that it can to keep the civilian regime in power. It is also deeply concerned about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons falling into jihadi hands if there is an Islamist coup. Hence, the United States feels inclined to offer some sops to satisfy Pakistan’s corps commanders at regular intervals. The sale of eight Orion maritime surveillance aircraft, the Phalanx gun systems and the 2000 TOW anti-tank-cum-bunker busting missiles falls in this category. Also, India and Pakistan are among the largest arms buyers in the world today and no US administration can neglect the military-industrial complex.

Though the sale of the Orion reconnaissance aircraft will make things relatively more difficult for the Indian Navy, they do not pose a direct new threat to India. The proposed sale indicates a US design to engage the Pakistan Navy in joint reconnaissance and patrolling of the sea lanes in the Gulf region by bolstering its capability while a similar exercise is being undertaken with the Indian Navy in the southern Bay of Bengal and the Malacca Straits. Clearly, the United States is planning to cooperate with the Indian Navy through its Honolulu-based Pacific Command and with the Pakistan Navy through its Central Command. Such an arrangement will also keep the Indian and Pakistan navies from having to launch joint operations and undertake search, seizure and rescue operations together.

If India wishes to influence US arms sales decisions, it must develop adequate leverages to make the United States reconsider the pros and cons very carefully. The supply of a new batch of F-16 aircraft to Pakistan will certainly enhance the strike capabilities of the PAF even though the Indian Air Force will still continue to enjoy both qualitative and quantitative superiority. India is justified in seeing the move to go ahead with the sale of the F-16s as an US attempt to balance its strategic partnership with India by once again propping up Pakistan as a regional challenger.

 

[LETHALFORCE]

Why have we increased our weapons purchases from USA knowing these facts? In fact we are indirectly financing the prop job by doing this already pointed out, I hope people making the decisions in the MRCA and the nuclear deals are factoring in all these things.

 

[Yusuf]

LF, think of it this way. Once the US becomes heavily involved in India, we can tell them to choose. It's a good game. 20 billion of business or 10 billion charity???

 

[tarunraju]

Yeah, and the Americans will do $100 Billion in charity when they're $12 Trillion in debt, and are cutting on important things such as space exploration.

If anything, India's military might will keep growing. At best in the next 15 years Pakistan will catch up with the Indian military strength of 2010, but by then we'll be another 15~25 years ahead of them.

Paks should beg for schools, not bombs.

 

[Vinod2070]

LF, think of it this way. Once the US becomes heavily involved in India, we can tell them to choose. It's a good game. 20 billion of business or 10 billion charity???

The Indian business is a sweetener. Even otherwise, the gap is growing too large for Pakistan's patrons to just throw a few crumbs at Pakistan and maintain a semblance of balance.

The costs of propping up Pakistan is being raised to a level where these patrons are going to begin feeling the pinch. China doesn't give them squat anyway, they are all about business.

1-2 billion from USA is not going to matter, anything more is unrealistic to expect.

 

[Vinod2070]

Yeah, and the Americans will do $100 Billion in charity when they're $12 Trillion in debt, and are cutting on important things such as space exploration.

If anything, India's military might will keep growing. At best in the next 15 years Pakistan will catch up with the Indian military strength of 2010, but by then we'll be another 15~25 years ahead of them.

Paks should beg for schools, not bombs.

That would need a fundamental change in what the Pakistani identity means. As long as they are just "not India" and "not Hindu", this is never gonna happen.

 

[Singh]

http://www.indianexpress.com/news/P...match-India--s-military-might--Haqqani/579961

Pak looking up to US to match India's military might: Haqqani

Pakistan is looking up to the US to help it match India's plans to spend USD 100 billion on weapons systems in the coming years to modernise its military, the country's Ambassador to the US Hussain Haqqani has said.

He said Pakistan has also started negotiating with the US for an agreement on nuclear technology on the lines of the deal Washington had signed with India and others.

"India is our main concern as it is buying weapons worth USD 100 billion from five countries and to balance this, we will have to depend on the US. India has 5,500 tanks and there is a question against whom they will be used," Haqqani told a group of journalists at the Governor's House here late last night.

"We cannot be assured by statements from the other side of the border that India will not wage a war against us," the diplomat said.

Pakistan will get another batch of 16 F-16 fighter aircraft in June, Haqqani said.

On nuclear technology, he said: "The US is not sceptical about our nuclear programme. The talks between Pakistan and the US for cooperation on the atomic programmes are underway.

"And we want the US to have an agreement with us like the one it had with India on civil nuclear technology."

Explaining why Pakistan has to look up to the US for enhancing its military capacity and capability, he said European countries offered no soft terms for selling weapons to the country.

"We have to largely depend on the US for defence-related matters," he said.

"We have also sought drone technology from the US. On the one hand our innocent people are losing their lives and on the other, Taliban leaders like Baitullah Mehsud get killed in drone attacks," he said.

Haqqani said Islamabad had also made it clear to Washington that it should ensure a strengthened and Pakistan-friendly regime in Kabul before US forces left the neighbouring country.

"Ties with the US are important for a secure, stable and prosperous Pakistan," he said.

Though the expectations of Pakistan and the US may not be the same, both are indispensable for each other, he said.

Great, Pakistan still refuses to show self-reliance. US has already abandoned them, and still they haven't learnt their lessons. We are cursed on one hand that we have incompetent politicians on the other hand blessed that we have beggars for enemies. Imagine if Pak had become half as self-reliant as India.
Carry on Begging. We are going to defeat you without firing a single shot.

 

[Vinod2070]

Great, Pakistan still refuses to show self-reliance. US has already abandoned them, and still they haven't learnt their lessons. We are cursed on one hand that we have incompetent politicians on the other hand blessed that we have beggars for enemies. Imagine if Pak had become half as self-reliant as India.
Carry on Begging. We are going to defeat you without firing a single shot.

That is not an option. They are broke and there is no solution to that problem in sight.

I think we are both a bit lucky to have such incompetent enemies.