You don’t say!
Darius Nakhoonwala
It is the oldest principle of parenthood - when you give one child a present, you promise the other the moon. The unspoken conditions are patience, good behaviour and, above all, total cooperation. Amazingly, it always works, which is why no one should be surprised at the editorials that greeted the news early last week that the US was going to give 30 F-16s to Pakistan and to India, the
possibility of supply 126 multi-role combat aircraft.
True, given how much in love the US is in with President Musharraf, the F-16s to Pakistan were inevitable. Still, it was amazing to see how in the name of realism, Indian leader writers were prepared to overlook a very simple fact. In 1998, when India and Pakistan went nuclear, the US imposed sanctions on them; today, it is offering both aircraft that can deliver these nuclear weapons.
No one pointed this out, except the Business Standard which made a one-sided reference to it, that "The shipment was held up when the US merely suspected; now that Pakistan is indeed a nuclear power, the US has decided to give the F-16s to it." It went on to say that since India had no choice anyway, it might as well get on with the economic and other cooperation. In other words, the old Confucian saying: if rape is inevitable, lie back and enjoy it.
The Indian Express, which on Indo-US affairs sounds like Span, sought to steer the debate into as yet some pointless nitty-gritty. "If two US companies — Lockheed Martin with its F-16 and Boeing with its F-18 — join the bidding, the Indian Air Force could expect other companies already in the fray to come up with even more attractive terms. If the proposal from either Lockheed or Boeing turns out to be the best in the competition, in terms of price, reliability, and technology transfer, India would have every reason to buy a major weapons platform from the US for the first time." Wah! Talk of thinking of consummation while looking at the matrimonial ad.
The paper also said that this would not fuel an arms race because "for more than a decade, Russia has been selling similar fighter aircraft to both India and China. That hasn`t led to an arms race between New Delhi and Beijing." And, more. "With its obsession over the transfer of F-16s to Pakistan, the government has glossed over the rare offer from the Bush administration — to make India a world power." Hahahahahah!
The Telegraph was more wary. "Beware of Uncle Sam," it said, "when he comes bearing gifts." It pointed out that "the US is notoriously unreliable as a supplier of military hardware." But it took care to add that "this disproportionate bestowing of gifts should not also be blown out of perspective and jeremiahed into anti-US rhetoric." Then it summed it up very nicely. "India`s self-interest clearly lies in
emerging as the most important player in south Asia and in the Indian Ocean. It also sees itself as a key player in Asian affairs. It is not in the US`s interest to see India play such a powerful role in the region."
The Hindu was caught wrong-footed once again. It is hugely anti-US but also hugely pro the UPA government. So it said India`s "measured response is rather different from the hyper-reaction verging on insecurity that signs of Washington`s `tilt` towards Islamabad tended to set off in the past. It reflects a mature understanding that the superpower will not give undue weight to New Delhi`s concerns in its pursuit of its strategic interests. At the same time, an explicit
criticism of the decision was very necessary." But it did warn that "the partnership is a vague concept that India must be wary of."
But it too said that there would no arms race. Really? And it made the point that "Dependability is a vital consideration in arms supply relationships and New Delhi`s experience with Washington in this regard is far from happy."
But all credit to the paper for finally putting its finger on the nub. "In wooing India and Pakistan, Washington hopes to draw them away from Iran." Absolutely.
This is the crux of the matter. Iran, with its nuclear programme, is the current pet peeve of the US. Iranian centrifuges have come from Pakistan, which has now apparently agreed to let the IAEA have some of the centrifuges from Kahuta for `study`. President Musharaff has confirmed this. Mr Bush notified the F-16 sale
within 24 hours of this statement.
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