CITIZEN ALERT v2.273ARMS TO PAKISTAN

Citizen Alert takes a cue from a verse in Bobot Adrenaline's "State of Affairs" that discusses arms sales to Pakistan:

Kashmir what’s your fear. The secrets travel ear to ear
I’ll check my neighbor bash him well
This aeroplane is hard to sell. To sell, I said to sell!

Back in November, the Federation of American Scientists obtained a copy of a 4 page Congressional Research Service report on “U.S. Arms Sales to Pakistan”. It reads in part:

In 2006, the United States signed arms transfer agreements with Pakistan in excess of $3.5 billion, ranking Pakistan first among all arms clients of the United States during that calendar year. The key elements in Pakistan’s arms purchases from the United States were 36 F-16C/D Block 50/52 fighter aircraft for $1.4 billion; a variety of missiles and bombs to be utilized on the F-16 C/D fighter aircraft for over $640 million; the purchase of Mid-Life Update Modification Kits to upgrade Pakistan’s F-16A/B aircraft for $890 million; and 115 M109A5 155mm Self-propelled howitzers for $52 million. The rise of Pakistan to its new status as a major arms purchaser from the United States is particularly noteworthy given the difficulties the United States has had with Pakistan since the 1970s over its successful effort to produce nuclear weapons. The total value of Pakistan’s 2006 arms purchases from the United States nearly matches the total value of all Foreign Military Sales (FMS) program purchases by Pakistan from the United States for the entire period from FY1950-FY2001 (more than $3.6 billion in current dollars).

READ the full report here.