NEW YORK: The Pakistani community here has begun to counter a massive Indian campaign aimed at preventing the Reagan administration from selling AWACS, the early warning aircraft, to Pakistan, reports APP’s special correspondent. Citing a so-called threat to India’s security, the “say no to AWACS to Pakistan” campaign was launched about three weeks ago on ethnic Indian television and radio programme that are broadcast on leased channels.
In commercials, sponsored by the New York wing of the ruling Congress Party. Indians settled in the United States urged their compatriots to write letters to the Senators and Congressmen that they oppose the Reagan administration’s reported plans to supply the high technology aircraft to Pakistan.
The larger Indian community was also asked to send protest telegrams to the White House, the State Department and Pentagon. This is despite the fact that no decision has been taken to sell AWACS to Pakistan.
At the same time, the administration has made it clear that it is convinced that Pakistan does need some form of an airborne early warning system to protect its security on the northwestern border, but that the matter was “under consideration”.
While the capital prepared for the long holiday weekend culminating in Monday’s Republic Day parades and celebrations, the Defense Ministry said contingency troop movements were taking place north India.
In Punjab, scene of an unremitting campaign of murders, the Border Security Force and’ Central Reserve Police Force were put under operational control of the army, a move officially sanctioned “during external aggression”.
But despite the sudden upsurge of tension, Western diplomats contacted by Reuters did not predict conflict.
“It just looks ‘like saber-rattling’ to me” said one diplomat. The timing is all wrong for a shooting war six foreign heads of state are here for the Africa Fund Summit, Republic Day is on Monday and the people just aren’t prepared for a fight with Pakistan”.
“J just don’t know what they (the Indians) are up to” said another diplomat. “A strike across the frontier to take out the Sikh training bases is simply unthinkable”.
“A rapid like that would start a full-scale war, and none of the people I have talked to can think of anything either side could gain by having one”.
Relations have worsened in the past year over Punjab, but Pakistan denies that it is training or arming Sikhs, as India alleges.
The official response came from a foreign ministry spokesman in Islamabad yesterday, “There are no grounds whatsoever for concern”.
Article extracted from this publication >> January 30, 1987
