Saturday 28 May 2011

India Denounces US Military Aid To Pakistan

New Delhi has long accused Pakistan's powerful military of aiding militant attacks on Indian soil, including the 2008 Mumbai attacks, a charge Islamabad denies.

India has denounced US military aid to Pakistan which it says is being used by Islamabad against Indian interests, local media reported on Saturday.

“This (aid) is being used against us, which is not a nice gesture on the part of (the) US and we have raised this issue with them many times,” Defence Minister A.K. Antony was quoted as saying by the Indo-Asian News Service.

US aid to Pakistan is viewed with concern in India and has been an irritant as Washington looks to upgrade strategic and economic ties with the emerging Asian power.

India’s charges against Islamabad received a boost after the star witness in a Chicago trial linked to the Mumbai attacks testified that Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and elements in the military coordinated to plot the raid that killed at least 166 people.

Pakistan has received $20.7 billion worth of US assistance over the past decade, about two-thirds of it military aid.

US lawmakers have questioned the continuation of that aid since the discovery and killing by US forces of al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad earlier this month.

The reality which Indian strategist fail to accept is that without Pakistan America cannot maintain stability in Afghanistan. Not only it needs the supply line but it needs the intelligence and army of Pakistan to be on their side rather than working against then(not that most of them are not already).

Secondly Iran has a huge influence in Afghanistan and without Pakistan USA will be left alone with no real power base. Irrespective of the money they pump in unless and until it is backed by local people that money will go down the drain.

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