US Gives Pakistan Contract to Build 1000 Humvees

[HAIDER]

The Cave: US hires Pakistan to build Humvees - while Detroit goes down




KARACHI - Pakistan's seven-year association with the United States' "war on terror" has moved to a new and dangerous level: the US has given it a contract to build 1,000 Humvees for use by troops in Afghanistan against the Taliban-led insurgency.

The fact that Pakistan is now providing the hardware for the "war on terror" is a highly sensitive issue, given the already inflammatory situation that exists in the country over Islamabad siding with Washington in this fight against terrorism.

Asia Times Online has learned that Pakistan's Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) has been given the order for an undisclosed sum for the Humvees - high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles. HIT, located 35 kilometers to the west of the capital Islamabad, is the leading engineering and manufacturing center for the armed forces in Pakistan, with a workforce of over 6,000.

Work on the Humvees has already begun, although the task is being undertaken in secret. HIT has the capabilities to build main battle tanks, armored recovery vehicles, armored personnel carriers and other military equipment. Humvees are currently produced by AM General, an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana.

According to contacts at the plant who spoke to ATol, the Humvees are just the first of many orders to come for the manufacture of armaments for use in Afghanistan.

ATol contacted the Ministry of Defense Production, under which HIT operates, and was directed by a Major Raza Hasan to the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas, as the minister was not available. Abbas said he had no knowledge of the matter of the Humvees and would call back after speaking with HIT. At time of publication, he had not done so.

 

[EagleEyes]

Moved on to a dangerous level? Just because you didn't get a contract.. it goes to a dangerous level? Building 1000 Humvees in Pakistan will be way cheaper and cost effective than at home. I also doubt that it will be Humvees rather i believe it will be more orders on Al-Talha vehicles.

 

[HAIDER]

Just not it..another unconfirmed news is in circulation . US may buy 1000 alkhalid tanks too...

 

[Imran Khan]

its besness why not we build this and take $

next month taliban want also 2000 of them

 

[General Fujita]

With shortages of jobs in USA, i highly doubt they would give an order of 1000 humvees overseas.

 

[Nauman Umair]

well this is possible because US works on cost-effective stratedgies...thats why they have call centres operating in Pakistan(comparitively very low costs are born by them as compared to if they were operated in their homeland)...so you can say that they are effectively working out their economy with an effective support towards zionism(a very deep thought)!

 

[ejaz007]

At a time when we urgently need dollars this should be a good news. Our technical people would also learn a lot from this.

 

[ejaz007]

Pakistan does some US dirty work
By Syed Saleem Shahzad

KARACHI - Pakistan's seven-year association with the United States' "war on terror" has moved to a new and dangerous level: the US has given it a contract to build 1,000 Humvees for use by troops in Afghanistan against the Taliban-led insurgency.

The fact that Pakistan is now providing the hardware for the "war on terror" is a highly sensitive issue, given the already inflammatory situation that exists in the country over Islamabad siding with Washington in this fight against terrorism.

Asia Times Online has learned that Pakistan's Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) has been given the order for an undisclosed sum for the Humvees - high mobility multipurpose wheeled vehicles. HIT, located 35 kilometers to the west of the capital Islamabad, is the

leading engineering and manufacturing center for the armed forces in Pakistan, with a workforce of over 6,000.

Work on the Humvees has already begun, although the task is being undertaken in secret. HIT has the capabilities to build main battle tanks, armored recovery vehicles, armored personnel carriers and other military equipment. Humvees are currently produced by AM General, an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based in South Bend, Indiana.

According to contacts at the plant who spoke to ATol, the Humvees are just the first of many orders to come for the manufacture of armaments for use in Afghanistan.

ATol contacted the Ministry of Defense Production, under which HIT operates, and was directed by a Major Raza Hasan to the director general of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas, as the minister was not available. Abbas said he had no knowledge of the matter of the Humvees and would call back after speaking with HIT. At time of publication, he had not done so.

A widening war

The winter season has begun, but the heat of fighting is not getting any cooler in the South Asian war theater, indeed, it is becoming cauldron-hot.

The Taliban have shown unprecedented resilience and the scope of the battlefield has broadened from the border provinces with Pakistan to the main urban centers of Afghanistan. Whether it is newly formed American bases in Nuristan and Khost provinces, or the British base in Lashkar Gah, they have either been overrun or placed under constant siege by the Taliban.

Now, the strategic backyard of the "war on terror", Pakistan, is feeling the heat. Just as Kabul is under siege by the Taliban and communication links leading to Kabul have been disrupted by the Taliban, Islamabad is under siege by the Taliban and militants in the tribal areas on the border with Afghanistan.

Increasingly frequent raids by US special forces into Pakistan from Afghanistan and the use of Predator drones to target militants has angered many in Pakistan, and even caused dissent within the ranks of the armed forces.

That Pakistan is now producing hardware that could conceivably be used inside Pakistan against its people will rankle even more.

Further, as reported by ATol, the US is establishing a large base inside Pakistan at Tarbella, 20 km from Islamabad, officially said to be used to train Pakistani troops and to take part in operations in the tribal areas. (See Pakistan, US await militant showdown Asia Times Online, October 7, 2008.)

However, it is suspected the base will be used for US operations inside Pakistan and Afghanistan. American trainers are working out an arrangement for joint ventures with a selective group of Pakistani Frontier Corps.

The US already plans a military surge in Afghanistan with an additional brigade (4,000 to 5,000 troops) in January and possibly two or three more brigades later in the year. These will be reinforcements, not replacements. This will further "Americanize" the North Atlantic Treaty Organization mission in Afghanistan. Already, 26,000 of the 63,000 total international forces in the country are American. At the same time, the Afghan National Army is being expanded to 122,000 personnel and a rudimentary air force is being created.

It is against this backdrop that the US has turned to Pakistan for the manufacture of armaments to supply these new demands both within Pakistan and in Afghanistan.

Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan

 

[fatman17]

this also means humvees will be provided to the FC!

 

[araz]

Pakistan does some US dirty work
By Syed Saleem Shahzad



Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com

Asia Times Online :: South Asia news, business and economy from India and Pakistan

A bit of literary licence!!!! It is a good omen as it proves that HIT is good enough to take on a new desgn and build it. It iwll provide jobs for our people and I dont se anything wrong with it. The morality of it is the same as us providing help to Sri Lanka against the tamil tigers. I would remind the writer, that we are at war against the same element in our own country. So all in all it is good news.
Araz

 

[Black Stone]

If this is true, this is good for Pakistan. Money comes and goes...knowledge is here to stay.

 

[Blackpearl]

Agreed to......
Araz & Black Stone!

 

[Always Neutral]

its besness why not we build this and take $

next month taliban want also 2000 of them

A real good one.

 

[Imran Khan]

A real good one.

thanks bro next time best one

 

[XYON]

Highly unlikely scenario. First, the US would have to do this under license with HIT giving out designs and manufacturing secrets etc (which the US would not do under any circumstances at this stage knowing the Chinese reverse engineering capabilities). Second, such a deal does not happen overnight and a lot of preliminary work is required vis-a-vis US Government permissions/ legislation, export approvals etc. Third, such an achievement, if so true, is not kept under wraps and knowing HIT and Gen Ghumman's (who retires come this November) style of work, the MoU or agreement would be signed publicly and with all the media hype. However and most of all HIT would only venture into this project if and only if Pakistan Army also adopts the HUMMVEE for its own use and at this stage GHQ has no requirement as such. So setting up such an elaborate factory only for 2000 odd units just does not make commercial or strategic sense.