Pressler: F-16's have nothing to do with fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban

[NNN0LHI]

http://www.kashar.net/compleat.asp?id=1616

WASHINGTON March 22 (SANA):ONE big story from Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice's trip to South Asiawas that once again Washington's policymakers are trying to send F-16 jet fighters to Pakistan. This is like a broken record - the argument has come up repeatedly since 1990, when an amendment I wrote quashed a deal involving 28 of the planes - but unfortunately this time the sale may well happen.The Ex.U.S republican Senenator Larry Pressler wrote an article in NY Times yesterday.

Pakistan is a declared ally in the fight against terrorism, and thus we give it huge amounts of military aid. But F-16's have nothing to do with fighting Al Qaeda and the Taliban. So what is really going on here? The answer is entwined in two decades of misguided United States policy toward India and Pakistan.

The truth is, we should have a robust pro-India stance. India is a democracy with a free market and a highly developed system of human rights. It could become our major bulwark against China in East Asia. It also has a large Muslim minority and, generally speaking, is an example of tolerance. And we have a mutually beneficial trade relationship with India that is helping us keep our technological edge. (Disclosure: I am on the board of Infosys Technologies, an Indian software company.)

Pakistan, on the other hand, is a corrupt, absolute dictatorship. It has a horrendous record on human rights and religious tolerance, and it has been found again and again to be selling nuclear materials to our worst enemies. It claims to be helping us to fight terrorism, although many intelligence experts have suggested that most of our money actually goes to strengthening the rule of Gen. Pervez Musharraf.

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Dear mods. This appears to be a cross between a news story and an editorial. It has some opinion from this former Republican US senator, but it also has some news that I have never seen before in print. I will leave it up to you guys to either move it, lock it or just delete it. Thanks and I think I am going to grab a couple of dogs and a cat and go to bed now. Take care.

Don

[varun]

1. India cares less if Pakistan gets F-16s

In fact, India rejected Condi's offer for F-16s recently.

India would prefer to buy from France, Sweden and UK (and of course Russian Migs), that an unreliable arms dealer like USA.

What USA is doing now is increasing the arms race in the subcontinent...however, it is facing competition from other countries now.