WASHINGTON, Sept 5: The United States should help strengthen Pakistan’s defence, particularly its air force, if it wants to reduce tensions in South Asia, a US senator said on Thursday. If the current imbalance in the region continues, he added, Pakistan could be forced to defend itself with non-conventional means.
Senator Robert Torricelli, a Democrat from New Jersey — a state with one of the largest South Asian immigrant communities in America — also said the United States should help Pakistan create more jobs by rebuilding its economy. “It’s not possible to fight terrorism if there is widespread unemployment,” he said.
Referring to India-Pakistan tensions earlier this summer when the two nuclear neighbours came close to fighting yet another war, Mr Torricelli said such situations could be avoided in the future “only if Pakistan has a strong defence, particularly a strong air force. The United States must help Pakistan rebuild its air force.”
He said that the situation that existed earlier this summer could be repeated if Pakistan had a weak daffiness.
Mr Torricelli said he had written a letter to Deputy Defence Secretary Paul Wolfowitz, and several other members of Congress sent a similar letter, supporting Pakistan’s request for US help in bulking up its defence, particularly the air force.
The Pakistan Air Force has traditionally depended on the United States as its main supplier of arms, and during the Afghan war also purchased several dozen F-16 fighter jets from Washington.
But then President George H.W. Bush stopped delivery of 32 F-16s in 1990 even though Pakistan had already paid for them. Bush’s administration said it was forced to do so because Pakistan had a military nuclear programme. The Pakistanis complain that they had a nuclear programme during the Afghan war (1979-89) as well but the United States never spoke of sanctions when it needed Pakistan’s support for fighting the Soviets in Afghanistan.
Talking to a group of Pakistani physicians at a fund-raising dinner, Torricelli disagreed with those who say that the United States is only a fair-weather friend.
“The United States and Pakistan have had friendly relations for more than 50 years and this relationship has withstood the test of time,” he said, adding that “foreign policies of a nation are based on practical and pragmatic considerations.”
Explaining this, Torricelli noted that China and Cuba are both communist states and the United States has problems with both. “We applied economic sanctions against Cuba but not against China because it would be ridiculous to isolate one billion people. It cannot be done.”
He urged the Pakistanis to develop economic ties if they want a steady relationship with the United States. “Strategic ties are also important but it is the economic ties that help a nation progress,” he added.
He agreed with a questioner who said terrorism would continue as long as the Palestinian issue was not resolved, but he said the United States’ main goal was to ensure the continued existence of Israel, “which should not be a question now” as most Arab nations also have recognized the Jewish state.
