Pak used US aid to fight India: Report

Pentagon has confirmed one of South Asia's worst kept secrets - that Pakistan has used billions of dollars of US aid to buy a mind-boggling array of conventional American weaponary to use against India.

The aid was meant for Pakistan to fight the war on terror. India has repeatedly pointed out that much of the military hardware on Pakistan's shopping list was not suited to anti-terror operations. Now, Pentagon reports have revealed that even the money poured into Islamabad's coffers by the Bush administration fter 9/11 specifically to fight al Qaida and the Taliban, was used to develop offensive capabilities against India.

The Pentagon reports detail the brazen diversion of funds given to Pakistan between 2002 and 2009 and the Pervez Musharraf government -- often described by George W Bush as America's "strong" ally in the "war against terror" - to acquire arms ranging from anti-tank missiles to F 16s. The arsenal was meant to blunt India's edge in conventional weaponry.

It is thought significant that the US Congress is currently debating another aid bill for Pakistan with a substantial military component, even as lawmakers express concern about Islamabad arming itself against India. The debate may have gained fresh traction, but Pakistan , which has shrewdly exploited the dubious distinction of being the epicentre of worldterrorism, may have its way yet again.

The Pakistani trait of diverting arms given to it by US goes back to the 1950s when it was a member of Cento (Baghdad Pact), which was an essentially Cold War grouping. The field armour it recieved from the US was used in the 1965 war against India.Six years later, in a letter to the Nixon administration at a time India-US ties were at their lowest ebb, Indira Gandhi noted that "It was a sad chapter in our sub-continent when US began supply of arms to Pakistan in 1954 and continued to do so till 1965. The arms have been used against us, as indeed we feared they would be."

This time around, almost four decades later, Pakistan seems to have done one better by using American money to buy American arms. Pentagon reports say arms were bought from America in the years under review with some of Pakistan's own money, some US foreign military financing(FMF), some from what is called excess defense articles and some from a fund known as coalition support funds (CSF) given to Pakistan for fighting terrorists.

Pakistan's big-ticket conventional military buys include 18 new F-16 C/D Block 50/52 combat aircraft (valued at $1.43 billion; none delivered yet), F-16 armaments including 500 AMRAAM air-to-air missiles; 1,450 2,000-pound bombs; 500 JDAM tail kits for gravity bombs and 1,600 enhanced paveway laser-guided kits, also used for gravity bombs ($629 million); 100 Harpoon anti-ship missiles ($298 million); 500 Sidewinder air-to-air missiles ($95 million) and six Phalanx close-in naval guns ($80 million).

Pentagon concluded $4.89 billion worth foreign military sales (FMS) agreements ith Pakistan between 2002 and 2008, although the bulk includes theF-16 sales. The US gave $1.9 billion foreign military financing with what it calls a "base programme" of $300 million a year from 2005-2009. It is this that has been used to buy US military equipment.

What else did Pakistan buy with this money?

Eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft and their refurbishment (valued at $474 million); about 5,250 TOW anti-armor missiles ($186 million; 2,007 delivered); more than 5,600 military radio sets ($163 million); six AN/TPS-77 surveillance radars ($100 million); six C-130E transport aircraft and their refurbishment ($76 million); and 20 AH-1F Cobra attack helicopters granted under EDA, then refurbished ($48 million, 12 delivered, 8 pending refurbishment for an additional $65 million).

Pakistan bought some other stuff with a mixture of its own money and FMF funds. These include up to 60 Mid-Life Update kits for F-16A/B combat aircraft (valued at $891 million, with $477 million of this in FMF, Pakistan currently plans to purchase 35 such kits); and 115 M-109 self-propelled howitzers ($87 million, with $53 million in FMF).

Pakistan also has been granted US defense supplies as Excess Defense Articles (EDA). While India has been celebrating the arrival of its Phalcon Awacs systems, Pakistan got the Pentagon to transfer three P3-B aircraft as EDA grants which would be modified to house the E-2C-Hawkeye airborne early warning systems worth $855 million. Last week the Pakistan air force chief announced that these "eyes in the sky" would be delivered "very soon".

Pakistan also got 14 F-16A/B combat aircraft and 39 T-37 military trainer jets. To fight terror, Pakistan has been given 26 Bell 412 utility helicopters, along with related parts and maintenance, valued at $235 million. Finally, under 1206 and Frontier Corps Authorities, the US has provided Pakistan with helicopter spare parts, night vision goggles, radios, body armor, helmets, first aid kits, litters, and other individual soldier equipment.

Pakistan is not inadequately equipped or trained to fight terror. If it wants, Pakistan can fight terror several times over. But it is seen to be preparing for conflict with India.

http://timesofindia.indiatimes.com/Pakistan-used-US-aid-to-fight-India-Report/articleshow/4624601.cms

Lahore attack: Terrorists entered from India, says Pak

Islamabad A Pakistani minister accused India of being behind the attack on Sri Lanka's cricket team in the city of Lahore on Tuesday, saying the attackers had crossed into Pakistan from India.

"The evidence which we have got shows that these terrorists entered from across the border from India," Sardar Nabil Ahmed Gabol, Minister of State for Shipping, told private Geo television. "This was a conspiracy to defame Pakistan internationally."

"This incident took place in reaction to 26/11," he said referring to the Mumbai attacks in November in which at least 170 people were killed. "It is a declaration of open war on Pakistan by India," said the minister, who is not one of the government's official spokesmen, but belongs to President Asif Ali Zardari's party.

Source: Reuters

New Year Bonanza for Armed Forces

New Delhi In a major New year bonanza for the armed forces, the Prime Minister's Office has informed the Defence Ministry that the armed forces personnel would henceforth have a separate pay commission, which is delinked from the civilian pay panel.

In a communication to the Defence Ministry the PMO also granted the demand for placing 12,000 odd Lieutenant Colonels under equivalence in Navy and Air Force in the pay band four of the sixth central pay commission.

However, the PMO, which considered the recommendations of the ministerial committee headed by External Affairs minister Pranab Mukherjee, said that the pay band four status with a grade pay of Rs 8000 would be accorded to Lieutenant Colonels who were performing a combat role or were ready for combat.

Those Lieutenant Colonels on deputation to other services would receive the pay band four status only when they return to their parent service.

Another demand accepted by the PMO concerned the jawans, for whom the government would restore the 70 per cent pensionary weightage.

Till the government implements the sixth pay commission's recommendations for allowing retired armed forces personnel's lateral entry into paramilitary and central police forces, the 70 per cent weightage would continue.

The present PMO communication, sent to the Defence Ministry in the last week of December, however, is silent on the two other core demands of the armed forces: placing the Lieutenant Generals in the higher administrative grade plus pay scales and bringing grade pay of officers from Captains to Brigadiers on par with their civilian counterparts.

But, conceding to the Defence personnel's demand the PMO said it would set up a high powered committee to review the command and control functions, and the status of the armed forces vis-a-vis that of their civilian and paramilitary counterparts.

http://www.indiavilas.com/redir.asp?l=http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?j1752539753

India, Pak exchange lists of nuclear installations

New Delhi India and Pakistan on Thursday exchanged lists of their nuclear installations under an agreement aimed at preventing attacks on each other's atomic facilities in spite of prevailing tension in the aftermath of the Mumbai terror attacks.

The Foreign Office handed over a list of Pakistan's nuclear installations and facilities to an official of the Indian High Commission at 11 am here.

In New Delhi, the Indian side handed over its list to an official of the Pakistan High Commission at the External Affairs Ministry.

The two sides also exchanged fresh lists of prisoners being held in each other's jails, officials said.

The exchange of lists of atomic facilities is done on January 1 every year under the "Agreement between India and Pakistan on Prohibition of Attack Against Nuclear Installations and Facilities", which was signed in 1988 and ratified in 1991.

Officials from both sides had earlier said that the tension sparked by the Mumbai terror attacks would not affect the exchange of the nuclear lists, which is done as routine every year.

According to the agreement signed on December 31, 1988, Pakistan and India have to inform each other on January 1 every year about the nuclear installations and facilities to be covered by the pact.

Islamabad and New Delhi had exchanged lists of prisoners being held in each other's jail but both sides had subsequently expressed reservations about these lists. During talks here between home secretaries of the two countries in November, they agreed to exchange fresh lists of prisoners.

Further details about the number of prisoners being held in the two countries were not immediately available.

Source: http://www.indiavilas.com/redir.asp?l=http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?j1752539753

FBI team visits Faridkot to probe about Kasab

An FBI team visited Faridkot in Pakistan's Punjab province to investigate about Ajmal Amir ‘Kasab', the lone terrorist captured during the Mumbai attacks, who hails from the area.

The five-member team of the FBI was headed by its South Asian Director William Robert, Geo TV reported.

According to sources, the purpose of the FBI team's visit was to investigate about Kasab, it said.

The channel also claimed, without quoting anyone, that according to the FBI team, it found no evidence.

Kasab's father recently admitted in an interview to the Dawn newspaper that the gunman whose picture was beamed around the world by the media was his son.

Residents of Kasab's village of Faridkot too have told the Pakistani media that he belonged to the area. They said he had told his mother during his last visit home that he was going away for jihad.

Pakistan on Wednesday claimed that India has cooked up a story about Kasab being a Pakistani.

Source: http://www.indiavilas.com/redir.asp?l=http://c.moreover.com/click/here.pl?j1752539753

India's golden oldies will fly again

NDIA'S golden warplanes are set to roar out of their retirement.

The Indian Air Force (IAF) will again fly its finest old warhorses like Spitfire and Ajeet along with its current fighters MiG and Sukhoi to showcase past triumphs.

The old planes would be ready to fly before the Air Force Day celebrations next October, said Air Force sources. These planes will also be on static display at the Aero India show in Bengaluru in February. The force has decided to revive the Hurricane, Wapiti, Spitfire, Ajeet, HF-24 Marut, Tigermoth and Hunter fighter aircraft from its old inventory.

The IAF is talking to their original manufacturers for servicing arrangements.

"These aircraft were once the pride of the force. We want this generation to know about their history and glory," confirmed a senior Western Air Command officer on Sunday night.

The Spitfire, for instance, was a trailblazer in World War II, and was used in India's wars against Pakistan. Hunter was the most recent one to be phased out. In the 1971 Indo-Pak war, the plane destroyed more than 100 Pakistani vehicles and strategic targets, including Mangla Dam and Sui Gas plant.

The plan is to have one old plane in each squadron at air shows and other important events. The project will commence in phases. Two planes will be serviced in each phase.

"People can have a look at these vintage planes at the Air Force museum, Palam Air Station. We are planning to organise static displays in other events to increase awareness," said the officer.

Source: http://www.mid-day.com/news/2008/nov/241108-News-Delhi-golden-oldies-India-warplanes-retirement-Indian-Air-Force.htm