NEW DELHI: India’s worst fear in the ongoing US-led war on terror along the Pak-Afghan border is Pakistan accessing and using American technology
and aid to augment its conventional military strength against this country, but does the Obama administration’s new “Af-Pak strategy” address this concern?
According to Bruce Riedel, the former CIA official whom President Barack Obama had entrusted with the responsibility of giving shape to his Afghanistan strategy, there is no foolproof guarantee against Pakistan transferring US technology to its advantage against India.
Riedel warned India in an interview to TOI that military assistance provided for one purpose can be “inherently” used for another purpose or adversary because it is “fungible” in nature. Riedel made the statement even as he added that Washington will look into all allegations of transfer of American technology provided to Pakistan.
Pakistan has been pleading with the US for transferring crucial weapon technologies being used in the war on terror, including drones, to it to help it deal, as it says, effectively with terrorists operating out of its territory on the western border. India has been keeping its fingers crossed, hoping that US will not share drone or any similarly lethal weapon technology with Pakistani agencies and Riedel’s statement, coming as it does from the man who headed the White House committee which reviewed the US’ Afghanistan strategy after Obama took over as president, will only heighten the concern. “The US will probe allegations of technology transfer of American equipment provided to Pakistan thoroughly,” Riedel told TOI.
“It should be borne in mind, however, that military assistance is always fungible, that is equipment provided for one purpose can inherently be used for other purposes. As a consequence, US military aid and sales to south Asia should always be carefully calculated for their impact on the India-Pakistan balance of conventional military power,” he added.
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