Pak modifies Harpoon, threat to India
This would give Islamabad the capability to hit targets in India.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: The US has accused Pakistan of illegally modifying US-made missiles to target land-based targets in a potential threat to India. Proving right New Delhi���s constant warnings about Islamabad using US resources to target India, Pakistan, according to a report in the New York Times, has modified Harpoon anti-ship missiles in a violation of US law and in fresh cause of worry for India.
The report, which cited unnamed administration and Congressional officials, stated that this charge was made in a `unpublicised diplomatic protest��� by the US to Pakistani prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and other top officials in June. A charge that was predictably denied by Pakistan.
The report said that American intelligence agencies had detected a suspicious missile test on April 23, which was never announced Islamabad but gave it a new offensive weapon. American military and intelligence officials suspected that Pakistan has modified the Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which the US sold to Pakistan in the 80s in a violation of Arms Control Export Act.
This would give Islamabad the capability to hit targets in India. The NYT report further said that the US has given a total of 165 Harpoon missiles to Pakistan, including 37 of the older-model weapons that were delivered from 1985 to 1988.
Additionally the US also accused Pakistan of modifying American-made P-3C aircraft for land-attack missions, another violation of United States law that the Obama administration has also protested. This charge has sparked off fresh tension between Pakistan and the US and also shows that Pakistan is a long distance away from shedding its India obsession.
``Whatever their origin, the missiles would be a significant new entry into Pakistan���s arsenal against India. They would enable Pakistan���s small navy to strike targets on land, complementing the sizeable land-based missile arsenal that Pakistan has developed. That, in turn, would be likely to spur another round of an arms race with India that the United States has been trying, unsuccessfully, to halt,������ the NYT report said.
The accusation comes in the backdrop of concerns about the speed with which Pakistan is developing new generations of both conventional and nuclear weapons. Experts hold that Pakistan���s nuclear arsenal is expanding faster than any other nation���s.
``There���s a concerted effort to get these guys to slow down,��� the report quoted a senior administration official as saying. ���Their energies are misdirected.���
New Delhi has continued to protest US military and non-military aid to Islamabad saying that it is inevitably diverted to bolster the arsenal against India. Interestingly, this diplomatic protest was made in June ahead of US secretary of state Hillary Clinton���s visit to India. During that visit also, India had raised its objection to large amounts of funding going Pakistan���s way.
For India, the protest by the US also underscores the uneasy and suspicion-tinged relationship between Islamabad and Washington, which plays up Pakistan as its ally in the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
The report, which cited unnamed administration and Congressional officials, stated that this charge was made in a `unpublicised diplomatic protest��� by the US to Pakistani prime minister Yousaf Raza Gilani and other top officials in June. A charge that was predictably denied by Pakistan.
The report said that American intelligence agencies had detected a suspicious missile test on April 23, which was never announced Islamabad but gave it a new offensive weapon. American military and intelligence officials suspected that Pakistan has modified the Harpoon anti-ship missiles, which the US sold to Pakistan in the 80s in a violation of Arms Control Export Act.
This would give Islamabad the capability to hit targets in India. The NYT report further said that the US has given a total of 165 Harpoon missiles to Pakistan, including 37 of the older-model weapons that were delivered from 1985 to 1988.
Additionally the US also accused Pakistan of modifying American-made P-3C aircraft for land-attack missions, another violation of United States law that the Obama administration has also protested. This charge has sparked off fresh tension between Pakistan and the US and also shows that Pakistan is a long distance away from shedding its India obsession.
``Whatever their origin, the missiles would be a significant new entry into Pakistan���s arsenal against India. They would enable Pakistan���s small navy to strike targets on land, complementing the sizeable land-based missile arsenal that Pakistan has developed. That, in turn, would be likely to spur another round of an arms race with India that the United States has been trying, unsuccessfully, to halt,������ the NYT report said.
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The accusation comes in the backdrop of concerns about the speed with which Pakistan is developing new generations of both conventional and nuclear weapons. Experts hold that Pakistan���s nuclear arsenal is expanding faster than any other nation���s.
``There���s a concerted effort to get these guys to slow down,��� the report quoted a senior administration official as saying. ���Their energies are misdirected.���
New Delhi has continued to protest US military and non-military aid to Islamabad saying that it is inevitably diverted to bolster the arsenal against India. Interestingly, this diplomatic protest was made in June ahead of US secretary of state Hillary Clinton���s visit to India. During that visit also, India had raised its objection to large amounts of funding going Pakistan���s way.
For India, the protest by the US also underscores the uneasy and suspicion-tinged relationship between Islamabad and Washington, which plays up Pakistan as its ally in the fight against the Taliban and Al Qaeda.
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India will be closely watching the fallout this development on the legislation to provide Pakistan with $7.5 billion in civilian aid over five years. The legislation is expected to come up for a crucial vote in the US Congress next month.Download
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