araz
PDF THINK TANK: CONSULTANT
- Joined
- Jun 14, 2006
- Messages
- 9,291
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I will leave your choice of negotiators aside and not comment on it.I think it is a major diplomatic failure that Pakistan cannot acquire second hand F-16s despite the recent success in Afghanistan thanks to Pak. One needs salesmen not military minds or political gurus sometimes to get the juice out of a fruit. @MastanKhan would have been an ideal type to have gotten more - well at least something in the last few years. Its a shame.
I think US has a plan for the region and Paklands is a mere cog in the bigger conundrum. You were allowed that which was absolutely necessary but never allowed to be able to fly solo. The carrot and stick approach doesnot work otherwise.
Another point from their perspective is if they allow unrestricted access to their boneyard to Pakistan why would we buy newer planes? So we bought 18 and were given 28 older ones. If we buy 18 more we might be able to squeeze some more older 16s out of US/third party.
The last point of contention was that PAF only wanted block 15OCUwhereas US was offering some block 32s. For various reasons we did not want to get those ones.
There are chances we may not be allowed to do so on account of US interests in India.
A