News
Tuesday, September 19, 2006
F16s being given to Pakistan not ill-equipped: KasuriBy Khalid Hasan
NEW YORK: Foreign Minister Khurshid Mahmood Kasuri has dismissed as unfounded the view that the F16s Pakistan is buying from the United States are ill-equipped to deal effectively with Pakistan’s defence needs.
The minister told a press conference on Sunday evening that Pakistan is not buying “remote control toys”, nor paying $5 billion from its own resources to purchase aircraft that would not fulfil its defence requirements. What Pakistan is acquiring is “bang for the buck”. He did not wish to make any comment on what has been appearing on this issue in the US media. “These are weapons for Pakistan’s defence. We lack high performance aircraft and that’s what we are getting.” Obviously, there are restrictions countries place on transfer of technology, he added. He said he had spoken to the Pakistan Air Force chief who had told him that the F16s the country had ordered are perfectly suited to its defence needs.
Asked about the forthcoming Bush-Musharraf meeting in Washington, Kasuri said there is strong personal chemistry between the two leaders. The meeting is significant because it is the first time the two are meeting since the start of the strategic relationship that now exists between Washington and Islamabad. “Our relations are now multifaceted and not confined to the war on terror,” he stressed. He said a major effort is going to be underway for the economic development of the tribal areas.
Kasuri, commenting on the “blame game” some people are playing as to Osama bin Laden’s “presence” in Pakistan, said it is both unfair and without validity. Sometimes it is said that Osama and his top deputies are hiding in Chitral, which is not a Pushtu-speaking area; sometimes it is said that Mullah Omar was seen praying in a mosque in Quetta. The likelihood of such a possibility is remote since every major Al Qaeda figure has been caught in urban areas. It is easier to hide in caves in remote hilly areas, which are mostly across the border. He said it is “very unfair to do finger-pointing.”
What intelligence Pakistan has, he pointed out, it shares with the CIA as with 50 other countries, he added.
Courtesy DailyTimes.com.pk