Helicopters idling in India,needed in Pakistan

[kashith]

Anti-India mindset hurting Pak relief - Pakistan - World - The Times of India

WASHINGTON: The United Nations has appealed urgently for helicopters to reach tens of thousands of Pakistanis marooned by the calamitous floods while scores of choppers idle in Indian hangars in the face of Islamabad's reluctance to accept aid from New Delhi.

Amid reports that nearly 800,000 people stranded by the floods can now be reached only by air, the UN put out an SOS for choppers for a disaster that has markedly rendered Pakistan's fetish for F-16 fighter jets irrelevant. "We need at least 40 additional heavy-lift helicopters, working at full capacity, to reach the huge numbers of increasingly desperate people with life-saving relief," Marcus Prior of the World Food Program said in a statement.

India meantime is sitting on some 300 utility choppers spread across its air force, navy, coast guard and army without moving a muscle because of Pakistan's obvious reluctance to accept help from New Delhi. Even that acceptance came after pressure from the US and the international community that hinted that Pakistan could not expect the world to come to its assistance while it selectively spurned help from close quarters.

Help from the Indian military for Pakistan even amid its national disaster is a non-starter in the eyes of many because of the adversarial relationship between the two countries. Islamabad's move to accept the $5 million assistance from India has been met with scathing criticism from Pakistan's pro-military circles, with one commentator trashing the government for accepting aid under US pressure and invoking the Kashmir issue even as Pakistan is going down the tubes.

"This money has the blood of Kashmiris on it and one wonders how our Kashmiri brethren must be feeling as they face the bullets of Indian forces every day and see us taking Indian 'aid'," Shireen Mazari, editor of the Nation newspaper, who is said to be close to the Pakistan military, wrote earlier this week.

Sad that at time of distress too, powers in pakistan are playing petty politics

 

[IndianRobo]

Yup, 300 Utility Choppers sitting Idle in our Inventory, the moment Pakistan asks for it, we are ready to give it... Manmohan had offered any Help... They must accept it....

 

[third eye]

No one should be as concerned for the ppl of Pak than GOP.

They have concerns in using Indian aircraft in Pak skies, this issue should be left here . They have their own reasons & priorities.

 

[kashith]

the question again is willingness to accept.If they would have asked,India definitely could have spared a few.come to think of it,we are the nearest source of these helis and could have delivered in matter of hours..still ...

---------- Post added at 07:01 AM ---------- Previous post was at 07:01 AM ----------

but somehow..i have a feeling we would have still been called pani -chor...

 

[diva]

soon i see pakistan becoming victim of playing politics in time of crisis....

Courtesy Indian Media....

 

[Beskar]

Props to the US for coming to our rescue with their Chinooks, Sea-stallions, Blackhawks etc but they really need to get over themselves and sell us a few squadrons of CH-47's and UH-60's.

Just don't understand their thought process. They can sell us BLK-52's, AH-1's, Bell-412's but they won't sell us a couple of Chinooks? Army Aviation's been demanding these birds for ages now!

If we had a couple of squadrons of CH-47's and UH-60's to go along with the rest of our fleet, people wouldn't be suggesting something like this.

 

[kashith]

Props to the US for coming to our rescue with their Chinooks, Sea-stallions, Blackhawks etc but they really need to get over themselves and sell us a few squadrons of CH-47's and UH-60's.

Just don't understand their thought process. They can sell us BLK-52's, AH-1's, Bell-412's but they won't sell us a couple of Chinooks? Army Aviation's been demanding these birds for ages now!

If we had a couple of squadrons of CH-47's and UH-60's to go along with the rest of our fleet, people wouldn't be suggesting something like this.

i guess they may not have officially asked for it.since Pakistan army spends most of the amount on maintaining a deterrence and sadly heavy lift helos are not exactly a deterrent.so may be after these tragedies,they may get fund reallocated

 

[Beskar]

i guess they may not have officially asked for it.since Pakistan army spends most of the amount on maintaining a deterrence and sadly heavy lift helos are not exactly a deterrent.so may be after these tragedies,they may get fund reallocated

I'm guessing that you don't know much about how Military's function and what their requirements are. To name a few, do you think MI-17's, Bell-412's, SA-330 Puma's serve as a deterrent in our Military?

 

[kashith]

I'm guessing that you don't know much about how Military's function and what their requirements are. To name a few, do you think MI-17's, Bell-412's, SA-330 Puma's serve as a deterrent in our Military?

Thing is none of these provide strategic lift capability,may be Pak Army didnt envision it in its strategy,these all are medium lift helos are are used as such.they are quite effective in that role,am not questioning it,but helos like Mi-26 can be really useful in time of trouble as shown by chinese mi-26 during earthquake.

 

[Beskar]

Thing is none of these provide strategic lift capability,may be Pak Army didnt envision it in its strategy,these all are medium lift helos are are used as such.they are quite effective in that role,am not questioning it,but helos like Mi-26 can be really useful in time of trouble as shown by chinese mi-26 during earthquake.

As I mentioned earlier, Pakistan Army Aviation demanded Chinooks and Blackhawks to modernize their fleet but were denied by the US. Other alternatives were also on the table and I'm sure that in the near future we'll strike a major deal for our Aviation.

 

[atyagi]

I don’t get it…why are we so desperate to help Pakistan when GOP is not interested in it. Why can’t we help our Flood Victim first?
I used to Think Times of India is a good News paper…but after reading these Bullshit I doubt it.. I think I need to change my news paper

 

[jha]

^^Not only TOI, you will see many posters here who jump at such occasions and start posting left and right..GOI is doing the right thing..why propose helping when the other side is not willing to accept help...

 

[Hulk]

I think we should focus internally we have offered they have declined let's move on.

 

[r3alist]

have india offered the use of their helicopters?

if they offered aid then why not the use of the more useful helicopters?

 

[jha]

We better be realistic..They wont accept any thing substantial..Why keep wasting energy on their issues..Better focus on our own problems..

Newbies here tend to bash Pakistan in one thread and try to become Mother Teresa in other..