June 19, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-us-Sani 14, 1429

LONDON, June 18: Pakistan purchased arms worth $6 billion in the last five years, according to a report put out by the UK’s Defence and Security Organisation.

Saudi Arabia was the largest importer over the period with $31bn, followed by India with $18bn and the US $17bn. Three countries — Australia ($11bn), Canada ($10bn) and Pakistan ($6bn) — moved up the rankings, the report published in the Financial Times on Tuesday said.

The UK won £10bn of new defence orders in 2007 from overseas, giving it a 33 per cent share of the export market, Export orders totalled £5.5bn in 2006.

The 2007 figures were helped by a large order from Saudi Arabia for the Typhoon aircraft, valued initially at £4.3bn. They were further aided by orders from Oman and Trinidad and Tobago for offshore patrol vessels.

Orders from North America were also significant — the US imported more weapons from the UK than from any other country, the DSO said.

According to the Stockholm International Peace Research Institute, the UK was the sixth largest supplier in 2007 — after the US, Russia, Germany, France and the Netherlands. Over a five-year period it was the fifth largest. But according to the DSO figures, last year’s orders mean the UK has been the second largest exporter of arms over the previous five years, after the US.