U.S.-Pakistani arms deal tests good will of Indians

Defense Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, during a visit to India last week, said Washington plans to seek stronger military ties with New Delhi. But it was an impending arms deal with archrival Pakistan that dominated the attention of the Indian leaders, who warned the plan would affect peace talks in the region and the good will for the United States in India.

“The defense relationship [with India] is a strong one and something we intend to see is further knitted together as we go forward in the months and years ahead,” Mr. Rumsfeld said during the first visit by a senior U.S. official since President Bush’s re-election last month.

Mr. Rumsfeld avoided any comment on Washington’s proposal to sell Pakistan military equipment worth more than $1.2 billion and, more important, on reports that the United States is close to a decision to sell up to 25 F-16 fighter jets to that country.

The Pentagon notified Congress last month of the administration’s plan to sell Pakistan P-3C Orion surveillance aircraft, TOW-2A missiles and Phalanx guns for ships. This month Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf discussed the purchase of F-16s when he met Mr. Bush in Washington.

Hours before Mr. Rumsfeld arrived in New Delhi, India warned the United States the weapons sale would have a negative effect on U.S.-Indian relations.

“We have pointed out that the supply of arms to Pakistan, at a time when the India-Pakistan dialogue is at a sensitive stage, would have a negative impact,” Indian Foreign Minister Natwar Singh told Parliament.

Mr. Singh also said New Delhi has “cautioned” Washington against supplying F-16s to Pakistan, saying it would affect “the good will the U.S. enjoys in India, particularly as a sister democracy.”

On Capitol Hill, the strong Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans made its own effort this week to dissuade the Bush administration from selling advanced weapons and fighter jets to Pakistan.

Rep. Gary L. Ackerman, New York Democrat and co-chairman of the caucus, and Rep. Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, Florida Republican, have urged congressional colleagues to sign a letter urging Mr. Bush to stop the sale of F-16s to Pakistan.

“We firmly believe that such a sale would undermine our long-term strategic interests in South Asia and urge you not to grant a license for such a sale,” the letter said.

Pakistan termed the proposed arms purchase “modest,” and called New Delhi’s objections “disturbing.”

“We do not want to match India gun for gun, missile for missile, aircraft for aircraft,” a Pakistani government spokesman said this week.

On Monday, the U.S. ambassador to India, David Mulford, sought to allay Indian concerns about the arms sale to Pakistan and went a step further, offering high-range weapons to India as well.

“We would like to have a very important economic and military relationship with India. We would like to be a big supplier of military equipment to India,” Mr. Mulford told reporters.

“I don’t think any one of [the arms being sold to Pakistan] would change anything in the overall relations between India and Pakistan,” he said.

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