ISLAMABAD, Sept 30: The Pentagon has agreed to refurbish Pakistan’s depleted fleet of F-16s and allow Belgium to sell two squadrons of the aircraft to Pakistan.

However, the Pentagon’s acceptance of Islamabad’s demand for improving its air force would need approval from the US Congress, said Defence Secretary Hamid Nawaz Khan.

Mr Khan, who had recently led a team to US for procurement of military equipment, told a news conference here on Tuesday that the Pentagon officials had agreed to Pakistan’s demand that its fleet of 40 F-16 aircraft should be refurbished. The Pentagon was convinced that the fleet was depleted when Pakistan fought for US interests in Afghanistan after the defunct USSR had invaded it.

“We got full assurance from the Pentagon that Pakistan’s demand would be accepted by the US Congress,” he said.

The defence secretary said Belgium had some F-16 jets and wanted to sell those to Pakistan but added that a US clearance was needed for the purpose. He said the Pentagon had accepted Pakistan’s demand for issuing the clearance certificate to Belgium.

He said the equipment that Pakistan wanted to purchase from the US include a radar system of high quality to match the Indian radar system which it was acquiring from Israel. A clearance from the US Congress would be required for that too, he added.

Without giving details of the weapons systems that Pakistan wanted to purchase under the $3 billion assistance package, the defence secretary said “a major breakthrough was made”.

He said the US officials had offered that if Pakistan sent troops to Iraq then they would show “great leniency” in the sale of equipment to it.

In reply to a question what Islamabad had been given in return for extending cooperation to Washington, he said Pakistan had got security and elaborated “the Indians would have done the same to Pakistan what Northern Alliance had done to the Taliban-ruled Afghanistan.”

Referring to India’s purchase of arms from Israel, the official said the US had been asked to help Pakistan in enhancing its capability, because in case of imbalance in conventional weapons, Pakistan’s reliance on nuclear deterrence would increase. The US officials said that Washington had no legal power to stop Israel from selling weapons systems to India, he added.

Mr Khan dispelled the perception that the US aid could be used only for acquiring equipment to counter terrorism. The assistance for combating terrorism was separate from the $3 billion aid package, half of which could be used for military purchases, he elaborated.

He said that issues like emergence of anti-Karazi forces in Afghanistan were also discussed. Pakistan, he pointed out, had been telling the US that guarding the long, porous border with Afghanistan was not possible. He said it was conveyed to the US that Pakistan needed proper equipment to seal the border.

About the US-India growing ties, the official said that US officials had assured them that Washington’s relations with Islamabad were independent of its relations with New Delhi.

The defence secretary said Pakistan’s indigenization programme was bearing fruit. Pakistan in collaboration with China had developed F-17 Thunder aircraft, he added. Submarines were being developed whose technology was transferred to Pakistan by France, he said and added that Al Khalid tank was one of the best in the world.

The official said that with the passage of time things would get difficult for the US in Afghanistan. He said it would not be possible for Afghanistan for two decades to raise an army that could pose challenge to Pakistan. He, however, stressed that Pakistan wanted to keep good relations with the people of Afghanistan.

The Defence Consultative Group which was co-chaired by US Undersecretary of Defence Douglas J. Feith and Mr Khan also met the US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld. The next meeting will be held in Islamabad.