How to deal with US-Pak arms biradari

Charlie Wilson's War is a 2007 film on the Texas Congressman who was pivotal in getting the US to come to the aid of Afghan mujahideen trained by Pakistan against the Soviets. In one scene, Wilson is at a gathering with Pakistani army officers where President Zia-ul-Haq turns to him and says, 'I don't need courtesy. I need airplanes, guns and money.' Wilson tells the general that the US has just doubled the CIA's budget - from $5 mn to $10 mn. Flabbergasted by the paltry amount, some of the gathered ask whether it's a joke. 'No, sir!' Wilson responds, to which Zia explains, 'Congressman, what they are saying is that $10 million from the United States to fight the Russian army is such a low figure that it can be mistaken for a joke.' Wilson tells him, with due respect, that he had caught on to the sarcasm.

In a different era, Pakistan's officer class has replaced sarcasm with flattery when dealing with US leadership. So, forgoing unrequited courtesy, Donald Trump has lined up $686 mn military aid for Pakistan, this time to sustain interoperability in counterterrorism operations and joint exercises. The US Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) proposal to Congress this week will be reviewed over a 30-day period.

DSCA's pitch: the F-16 sale is vital to US national security. New Delhi, keeping a stiff upper lip in its dealings with the Trump regime's good tidings towards Asim Munir's regime, is understandably aghast. Trump throwing in an F-16 modernisation package for Pakistan's fleet seems like Washington throwing in the sink in a hostile kitchen. But instead of airing its displeasure, India would do well to treat this US-Pakistan weapons biradari as further rationale to continue and extend its policy of strategic autonomy.