Agencies, Islamabad: Pakistan is no more seeking to match India's conventional arsenal but is focusing on strengthening its strategic systems, a media report Monday said.
Since the signing of the $3 billion aid package at Camp David two years ago, Pakistan and the US have been engaged in intensive discussions over Washington's assistance in strengthening Pakistan's defence capabilities, Dawn reported.
“But contrary to general belief, at these talks Pakistan never said it wishes to match India's conventional arsenal,” said a source privy to the talks.
“They realise that they cannot compete with India in conventional weapons and they do not need to,” the source added.
Since the May 1998 nuclear tests, Pakistan has developed a new defence strategy of meeting the Indian threat with the help of “strategic systems, not conventional weapons”, the source said.
The decision to acquire eight US P-3 Orion reconnaissance planes is part of this strategy.
The planes would help Pakistan prevent a possible naval blockade of Karachi, which India had successfully enforced during the 1971 war.
“The Orions can warn you that ships are coming and you can launch your submarines and aim your missiles,” said a defence expert.
“This will blunt the huge strategic advantage India had in 1971,” the expert added.
While Pakistan would still like to acquire F-16 combat jets from the US, “those are not the only weapons Pakistanis are focusing on,” said the defence expert.
In the 1980s, when Pakistan acquired the first batch of F-16s, Islamabad needed a delivery system for its strategic weapons but since 1998 it has developed an alternative delivery system and is not dependent on the aircraft, sources said.
They pointed out that during the last six years, Pakistan has regularly tested several medium and short-range missiles capable of carrying nuclear warheads and is satisfied that it possesses a reliable weapon-delivery system.
Despite this, Pakistan still wants F-16s because it needs an effective air force and the restrictions imposed on it in the 1990s had greatly depleted its air power, an expert said.
Also, Pakistan wants the F-16s because it is familiar with the system and has developed an infrastructure that includes trained pilots and maintenance and servicing facilities. If it now acquires different planes, it will have to build new infrastructure that will be costly and time consuming, the expert added.
The F-16 is one of the several systems Pakistan is pursuing with the US and other countries. Pakistan is also buying new weaponry from the US as part of a $1.3 billion defence package announced late last year.
The US is upgrading the weapon systems Pakistan purchased in the 1980s. Besides, Pakistan is acquiring eight, refurbished C-130 aircraft. Seven of these will be used for active service while the eighth will be cannibalised for providing spares for the planes.
“The bottom line is that Pakistan is seeking to build up an effective defensive mechanism, not an aggressive weapon systems,” said a diplomatic source.
