WASHINGTON: The US State Department has said that a billion-dollar arms sale to Pakistan would become effective in 30 days.

The department also rejected as “not a realistic hypothetical” that Pakistan might send these weapons to Yemen or use them against India.

The deal, announced on Monday, alarmed the Indian lobby and Pakistan’s opponent in the US capital who urged the Obama administration to stop the sale.

“We must realise, though, that we do not project strength by borrowing money from China to send it to Pakistan,” said Republican presidential hopeful Senator Rand Paul in his inaugural speech.

“It angers me to see mobs burning our flag and chanting ‘Death to America’ in countries that receive millions of dollars in our foreign aid.”

On Wednesday afternoon, Indian journalists raised the issue at a news briefing at the State Department, which approved the proposed sale and sent it to Congress with a certification from the US Defence Security Cooperation Agency that it was in US national interests to do so.

“The State Department did approve a possible foreign military sale to Pakistan for helicopters and associated equipment, parts, and support for an estimated cost of about $952 million,” said Marie Harf, the department’s spokesperson when asked to confirm the proposed sale.

“This proposed sale of helicopters and weapons systems will provide Pakistan with military capabilities in support of its counter-terrorism operations inside the country,” she added.

She explained that the department was required to notify Congress 30 days in advance and at the conclusion of this period, “we would then move towards finalising”.

Asked to comment on Senator Paul’s remarks, Ms Harf said the United States had “a very close counter-terrorism relationship with Pakistan for very good reasons”.

Pakistan, she explained, still faced a serious threat from terrorists who had either attacked the United States or American soldiers in Afghanistan or tried to plot and plan against the West.

‘So the Pakistanis have a serious problem still, and that’s why, we’re trying to help them. This is in our national security interest to do so,” she said.

When a journalist suggested that Pakistan might send those weapons to Yemen or use them against India, the US official said those weapons were meant for fighting terrorists inside Pakistan and would be used for that purpose only.

“We obviously have many ways of monitoring how weapons we sell to any country are used in terms of end use and how we monitor that. That’s obviously something we care very deeply about,” she said.

“Do you trust the Pakistanis?” a journalist asked.

“This isn’t about trust. This is about being able to see where our weapons go, see what they’re used for, and that’s something we are confident we are able to do,” Ms Harf replied.

“What if you find out that Pakistan is using the arms by the US in Yemen, for example?” the journalist persisted.

“I think that’s a bit of a not realistic hypothetical here. I don’t think that would be very cost effective,” the US official said.

Another journalist said the sale would free some of Pakistan’s resources which it can later use against other countries.

Published in Dawn, April 10th, 2015

On a mobile phone? Get the Dawn Mobile App: Apple Store | Google Play