US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia has said the administration believes that it is in United States' "national interest" to proceed with the sale of F-16s to Pakistan. "Sale of F-16s," Richard Boucher said, "provides a clear and concrete signal to all Pakistanis that Pakistan's security is important to the United States."
In a testimony before the House International Relations Committee on 'The Sale of F-16s to Pakistan', he expressed the hope that US law makers would "approve this transfer." He said that Pakistan is "a key country" and "a strategic partner in South Asia"--a region of critical importance to the United States. The South Asian region, he added, was "one of our highest priorities in the war on terror."
Chairman Henry Hyde presided over the proceedings of full-member committee hearing. "A confident Pakistan that feels secure is more likely to pursue peace and co-operation with its neighbours."
Boucher said the United States was working with Pakistan "to establish the basis for a stable, broad-based relationship." He said: "During President Bush's recent visit we agreed to high-level dialogues on everything from energy to education to economics to science and technology. We are using our assistance money to improve education and health in Pakistan."
Boucher said: "We are also assisting Pakistan to recover and rebuild from the catastrophic earthquake which destroyed large areas in northern Pakistan last October. This was the most popular and welcome program we have provided Pakistan since we resumed providing assistance in 2001." He said: "We cannot focus exclusively on Pakistan's economic and development needs, however, and ignore its basic national security concerns."
The Assistant Secretary of State said that the United States was asking Pakistan "to do difficult things to protect Americans, and we must show concern in return for Pakistan's security. The F-16s sale provides a clear and concrete signal to all Pakistanis that Pakistan's security is important to the United States."
Pakistan, Boucher added, was "equally important" to the struggle against the spread of weapons of mass destruction. And it is enjoying rapid economic growth."
He said: "If peace and stability prevail and the region's economic expansion continues, we believe this region will become an international economic powerhouse. "We want to support Pakistan's success as a moderate Muslim democratic nation. This is the course President Musharraf has set."
The senior State Department official said: "Achieving this goal would stabilise the nation and the region against terrorism and give the people of Pakistan new opportunity in the modern world.
"Its economic potential is as great as its neighbours. Its ports and transportation links could play a major role in the prosperity of the region as a whole. We see Pakistan as one end of a land bridge extending across Afghanistan and into Central Asia."
Boucher said that Pakistan's role in the struggle against al Qaida was well known, "but bears repeating." Almost every senior al Qaida leader now in custody "was captured by Pakistan." "Pakistan has put almost 80,000 troops on its border with Afghanistan and has conducted large-scale military operations aimed at flushing al Qaida and its allies out of the remote border country."
He said these operations have been costly. Pakistan has lost several hundred soldiers while conducting them. "The political cost has been high, too. Al Qaida and its extremist allies assail the Pakistan Government regularly for allegedly doing America's bidding, with no benefit to Pakistan.
"These same extremists have also sought to foment rebellion in the tribal regions along the border. The personal price paid by Pakistan's leaders has also been great. President Musharraf has survived two assassination attempts by al Qaida and its allies. Prime Minister Aziz has survived one such attempt, and senior army officers have been targeted as well."
He said: "The leaders of Pakistan have demonstrated great personal courage while supporting our common struggle against terrorism." The official said that the 9/11 Commission suggested that 'if President Musharraf is prepared to support us at the risk of his life', we should make the difficult decisions needed to establish a long-term commitment to the future of Pakistan. We are following the Commission's advice, and the F-16s are an important part of that effort."
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