Pakistan’s ambassador has been irritated by the Indian Embassy’s lobbying against a congressional move that could release some weapons and refund millions of dollars that have been frozen by Washington for five years. “The Indians have no business trying to determine what U.S. policy should be toward Pakistan,” Ambassador Malecha Lodhi said.
“The issue at hand is one of fairness ‘and equity, as President Clinton himself has said.
It is unfair to hold both the equipment and the money.”
Pakistan’s purchase of $1.4 billion in U.S. weapons was blocked in 1990 because of concerns over Pakistan’s nuclear program. President Bush decided he could no certify as required by law, that Pakistan’s nuclear program was for purely peaceful purposes, which meant Washington suspected that Islamabad had reached the technical capability to build a nuclear weapon.
The action froze the arms purchase, which included 28 F16 fighters, three Orion antisubmarine aircraft, Harpoon surface to surface missiles Sidewinder air to air missiles, artillery pieces, radar equipment, spare parts for F16s that Pakistan bought before the ban, Cobra helicopters, and rockets for use on the Cobras.
Under an amendment sponsored by Sen, Hank Brown, Colorado Republican, all the equipment except the F16s would be shipped to Pakistan.
The Clinton administration, which supports the amendment, is trying to find a third country to purchase the warplanes and transfer the proceeds to Pakistan as a refund, “We see this as an effort to rectify inequitable situation,” MsLodhi sai “This is an acid text” on the future: U.S. Pakistan relations, she said.
She also said the delivery of the: would not affect the balance of power between Pakistan and India.
“There is no balance,” she said “India’s army is three times the size or our army. “Its air force is four times larger and its navy seven times larger, Indian Ambassador Siddhartha Ray
has written members of Congress warming them that U.S. India relations could suffer if the Brown amendment is approved, He said the measure could reopen.
Article extracted from this publication >> August 11, 1995
