Pakistan diverted US aid to fight India: Ronald Neumann, Ex-envoy

NEW DELHI: Pakistan diverted most of the military aid it received from the US for counter-terror to fight against India, a former American ambassador to Afghanistan has alleged Ronald Neumann, former US envoy to Kabul’s remarks came while testifying before a Congressional Committee. He said that most of the military aid to Pakistan never went to counterinsurgency and it went to buying equipment to fight India, post 9/11.

Pakistan had received $20.7 billion worth of US assistance over the past decade, about two-thirds of it was military aid. The US government has funded eight P-3C Orion maritime patrol aircraft, 2,000 TOW anti-armor missiles, 14 older model F-16 fighter jets, 59 T-37 trainer jets, one missile frigate, six AN/TPS-77 surveillance radars and 20 Cobra attack helicopters among other weapons for Pakistan.

These figures are in a report published in July 2013 by the Congressional Research Service, the non-partisan analytical arm of the US Congress. The report said the US Defence Department “characterised” the F-16 fighters, P-3Cs and anti-armor missiles as “having significant anti-terrorism applications.” The state department claimed everything fits under “counterterrorism efforts, broadly defined.”

AK Antony as defence minister had in 2011 denounced US military aid to Pakistan which it said was used by Islamabad against Indian interests. “This (aid) is being used against us, which is not a nice gesture on the part of (the) US and we have raised this issue with them many times,” Antony had told reporters. MEA had also raised the issue with the state department.