Bilal Khan (Quwa)
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Not sure why we thought the US would take us brokering the peace deal seriously.That theory & sh!t list should have been amended before we went into brokering the Afghan Peace Deal.
That was our (only) trump card which we outta have played before getting our feet wet.
And i'm not just talking about just F-16's but in terms of Hercs & Helicopters. Yeah sure everyone here has a solution for F-16's is Block III. But what're we supposed to do 'bout the rest. Who do we approach?
This is something we all kept hearing on the forum by folks, but there was never any substance to the belief. If our leaders ever thought Pakistan was a serious player on the table, then the US likely laughed it off and told us to be happy they haven't put trade sanctions on us (and totally torpedo our economy seeing how we do maintain a trade surplus with the US!).
We spent all of our leverage in the early 2000s in helping the US get into Afghanistan, and got paid billions in dollars of military and economic aid at that time.
As for supplanting the C-130s and helicopters, there are ways. We can, for one, work with Ukraine/Brazil and Turkey, respectively.
Ukraine is working on a transport aircraft called An-178 -- as well as next-gen engine for it called AI-28 -- while Brazil has the C390. Sure, neither is as good as a Herc for rough conditions, but for most transport duties, these aircraft are fine.
We could work out a deal with either and became the top export customer, and in turn, get a sizable co-production deal to help our domestic industry.
The Turks invited us to their T625 utility helicopter program, and that links to the T629 attack helicopter. So, it's on us to stop panicking over perceived 'urgent needs', and switch to co-development and co-production instead.
Yes, it would mean keeping things quiet in the procurement front for 5-10 years (like the PAF is with Project AZM). However, just as the US doesn't want us to stab India, the US would also want India to focus on China.
If it falters in this regard, then the US will use Pakistan to sting India back in line (e.g., it did not openly sanction us for using the F-16s during Swift Retort). Think logically: If there is an Indo-Pak War, the beneficiary (as far as US is concerned) is China.
There are always ways. The issue is that Pakistani leaders and decision makers lack competence, sincerity and vision. There are a few gems, but by and large, folks are just in it for the job, not the cause.
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