US accuses Pakistan of illegally modifying missiles: report

[Gabbar]

US accuses Pakistan of illegally modifying missiles: report

The US government has accused Pakistan of illegally modifying US-made antiship missiles to make them capable of striking land targets and thus creating a new threat for India, The New York Times reported late on Saturday.

Citing unnamed senior administration and congressional officials, the newspaper said the accusation was made in an unpublicized diplomatic protest delivered in late June to Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

At the center of the row were Harpoon antiship missiles that were sold to Pakistan by the administration of former US president Ronald Reagan as a defensive weapon during the Cold War in the 1980s, the report said.

US military and intelligence officials say they suspect that Pakistan has modified the missiles in a manner that would be a violation of the Arms Control Export Act, the paper said.

Pakistan has denied the charge, saying it developed the missile itself. But according to the report, US intelligence agencies detected on April 23 a suspicious missile test that appeared to indicate that Pakistan had a new offensive weapon.
The missile would be a significant new entry into Pakistan's arsenal against India, The Times said. It would enable Pakistan's navy to strike targets on land, complementing the sizable land-based missile arsenal that Pakistan has developed.

That, in turn, would be likely to spur another round of an arms race between the nuclear-armed rivals that the United States has been trying to halt, the paper noted.

"The potential for proliferation and end-use violations are things we watch very closely," The Times quotes an administration official as saying. "When we have concerns, we act aggressively."

The United States has also accused Pakistan of modifying US-made P-3C aircraft for land-attack missions, another violation of US law that the administration of President Barack Obama has protested, the report said.

[Mastankhan]

Hi,

The finger pointing has begun---it will build upto a crescendo before the delivery of the F 16 blk52's and amraams---the relationship is again getting on a curve of unpredictability---it is a very crucial 6---10 months for pakistan.

Pakistan army has again started talking with the taliban and stopped its assault on the TTP---which is not sitting well in the u s.

[Mian Asad]

The new harpoons(block 2) that we have do have a land attack capability so why all this fuss by NYT regarding us modifying our harpoons.

http://www.boeing.com/defense-space/...poon/index.htm

[macrocks]

The fact is that it is a report to build pressure on Pak to act against terrorists especially against Taliban acting in Afganistan otherwise the US will block the 7.5 billion aid under the guise of arms act.

[Jana]

Originally Posted by macrocks

The fact is that it is a report to build pressure on Pak to act against terrorists especially against Taliban acting in Afganistan otherwise the US will block the 7.5 billion aid under the guise of arms act.

Doesnt matter because the biggest chunk of that aid is already allocated for the US staff and security arrangments.

And acting against Taliban in Afghanistan is not our responsibility with heavy NATO/US force stationed in Afghanistan if failed to fulfil its responsibilities then its their headach not our fault.

[Neo]

Pakistan denies modifying U.S. missiles

The White House sees a threat to India, but some experts disagree.

By Eric Schmitt and David E. Sanger
The New York Times
Posted: 08/30/2009

WASHINGTON — The United States has accused Pakistan of illegally modifying American-made missiles to expand its capability to strike land targets, a potential threat to India, according to senior administration and congressional officials.

The charge, which set off a new outbreak of tensions between the U.S. and Pakistan, was made in an unpublicized diplomatic protest in late June to Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani and other top Pakistani officials.

The accusation comes at a delicate time. The administration is asking Congress to approve $7.5 billion in aid to Pakistan over the next five years, and Washington is pressing a reluctant Pakistani military to focus its attentions on fighting the Taliban, rather than expanding its nuclear and conventional forces aimed at India.

American officials say that the weapon in the latest dispute is a conventional one — based on the Harpoon anti-ship missiles that were sold to Pakistan by the Reagan administration as a defensive weapon in the Cold War, but the subtext of the argument is growing concern about the speed with which Pakistan is developing new generations of both conventional and nuclear weapons.

"There's a concerted effort to get these guys to slow down," one senior administration official said. "Their energies are misdirected."

At issue is the detection by American intelligence agencies of a suspicious missile test April 23 — a test never announced by the Pakistanis — that appeared to give the country a new offensive weapon.

American military and intelligence officials suspect that Pakistan has modified the Harpoon missiles, a move that would be a violation of the Arms Control Export Act. Pakistan denies the charge, saying it developed the missile itself.

The United States also has accused Pakistan of modifying American-made P-3C aircraft for land- attack missions, another violation of U.S. law that the Obama administration has protested.

Some experts are skeptical of the American claims.

Rob Hewson, editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons, a yearbook and Web-based data service, said the Harpoon missile did not have the necessary range for a land-attack missile. Moreover, he said, Pakistan could buy more modern missile technology from China or South Africa.

[Neo]

Pakistan rejects US accusation on missile modification

WASHINGTON (August 30, 2009): Pakistan's Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani has debunked as 'incorrect' accusations in a New York Times story that Islamabad had illegally modified American-made missiles to expand its capability to strike land target.

"The accusations are incorrect and based on wrong intelligence," Ambassador Husain Haqqani said while commenting on the Times' dispatch, which also claimed that the altered missiles posed a potential threat to India.

Citing senior administration and Congressional officials, the newspaper said the U.S. charge came in late June through an unpublicized diplomatic protest to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and other top Pakistani officials.

"We will make sure that the US understands the correct picture and we will fight back periodic efforts to falsely blame Pakistan which remains a critical US ally in fighting terrorism," Ambassador Haqqani said, urging the American media to help Pakistan in its vitally important anti-terrorism efforts and desist from making false accusations.

"Instead of false accusations, US media should help Pakistan secure the help it needs to fight our common enemy; terrorism," he added.

Robert Hewson, editor of Jane's Air-Launched Weapons, a yearbook and Web-based data service, said the Harpoon missile did not have the necessary range for a land-attack missile, which would lend credibility to Pakistani claims that they are developing their own new missile. Moreover, he said, Pakistan already has more modern land-attack missiles that it developed itself or acquired from China.

"They're beyond the need to reverse-engineer old U.S. kit," Hewson said in a telephone interview with the Times.

"They're more sophisticated than that."

[Thunder]

Originally Posted by Gabbar

US accuses Pakistan of illegally modifying missiles: report

The US government has accused Pakistan of illegally modifying US-made antiship missiles to make them capable of striking land targets and thus creating a new threat for India, The New York Times reported late on Saturday.

Citing unnamed senior administration and congressional officials, the newspaper said the accusation was made in an unpublicized diplomatic protest delivered in late June to Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

At the center of the row were Harpoon antiship missiles that were sold to Pakistan by the administration of former US president Ronald Reagan as a defensive weapon during the Cold War in the 1980s, the report said.

US military and intelligence officials say they suspect that Pakistan has modified the missiles in a manner that would be a violation of the Arms Control Export Act, the paper said.

Pakistan has denied the charge, saying it developed the missile itself. But according to the report, US intelligence agencies detected on April 23 a suspicious missile test that appeared to indicate that Pakistan had a new offensive weapon.
The missile would be a significant new entry into Pakistan's arsenal against India, The Times said. It would enable Pakistan's navy to strike targets on land, complementing the sizable land-based missile arsenal that Pakistan has developed.

That, in turn, would be likely to spur another round of an arms race between the nuclear-armed rivals that the United States has been trying to halt, the paper noted.

"The potential for proliferation and end-use violations are things we watch very closely," The Times quotes an administration official as saying. "When we have concerns, we act aggressively."

The United States has also accused Pakistan of modifying US-made P-3C aircraft for land-attack missions, another violation of US law that the administration of President Barack Obama has protested, the report said.

Now look at the highlighted line above and imagine,Harpoon like weapon can start arm race in southasia whereas selling the p8 and the 123 agreement b/w the two countries didn't have the potential to start arm race in our region.

[ajpirzada]

Originally Posted by Jana

Doesnt matter because the biggest chunk of that aid is already allocated for the US staff and security arrangments.

And acting against Taliban in Afghanistan is not our responsibility with heavy NATO/US force stationed in Afghanistan if failed to fulfil its responsibilities then its their headach not our fault.

and remainin will reach us through US aid agencies meaning we will only get part of this aid

[ajpirzada]

Originally Posted by Thunder

Now look at the highlighted line above and imagine,Harpoon like weapon can start arm race in southasia whereas selling the p8 and the 123 agreement b/w the two countries didn't have the potential to start arm race in our region.

very well said.
all the human rights and other talks of peace take the center stage only when it comes to pakistan or other countries which dont benefit west.