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Bush: U.S. to Sell F-16s to Pakistan
Reversal, Decried by India, Is Coupled With Fighter-Jet Promise to New Delhi
By Peter Baker
Washington Post Staff Writer
Saturday, March 26, 2005; Page A01
CRAWFORD, Tex., March 25 -- President Bush rewarded a key ally in the war on terrorism Friday by authorizing the sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan, a move that reversed 15 years of policy begun under his father and that India warned would destabilize the volatile region.
The United States barred the sale of F-16s to Pakistan in 1990 out of concern over its then-undeclared nuclear weapons program, but Bush has forged a close relationship with Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf since Sept. 11, 2001, and considers his help crucial in the battle against Osama bin Laden's al Qaeda terrorist organization.
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• India Protests Possible Sale Of Fighter Jets to Pakistan (The Washington Post, Mar 17, 2005)
• Avalanches Kill 225 in Kashmir (The Washington Post, Feb 24, 2005)
• Deal to Run Buses In Kashmir Bolsters India-Pakistan Talks (The Washington Post, Feb 17, 2005)
• Special Report: India - Pakistan
• Primer: The Conflict in Kashmir
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Pakistan initially wants to buy about two dozen aircraft, but Bush administration officials said there would be no limits on how many it could eventually purchase. The administration tried to balance the sale by announcing simultaneously that it would allow U.S. firms the right to provide India the next generation of sophisticated, multirole combat aircraft, including upgraded F-16 and F-18 warplanes, as well as develop broader cooperation in military command and control, early-warning detection, and missile defense systems.
"What we are trying to do is solidify and extend relations with both India and Pakistan, at a time when we have good relations with both of them -- something most people didn't think could be done -- and at a time when they have improving relationships with one another," Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice said in an interview at The Washington Post.
"If you look at it in terms of the region," she added, "what we are trying to do is break out of the notion that this is a hyphenated relationship somehow, that anything that happens that is good for Pakistan is bad for India, and vice versa."
Critics in Washington assailed the decision, saying the administration would effectively supply both sides in a new arms race in one of the world's most dangerous hot spots, even as it rewards an authoritarian government in Islamabad in conflict with Bush's stated commitment to promote democracy around the globe.
Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh complained that selling F-16s to Pakistan would shift the balance of power in South Asia. "We're greatly disappointed to hear the news," said Gautam Bambawale, minister for press affairs at the Indian Embassy in Washington. "This is probably going to have negative consequences for Indian security and the security environment" of the region, Bambawale said.
Bush called Singh to explain the decision Friday morning from his ranch here, where he is taking an Easter break