India takes lead in South Asian arms purchase

Most weapons will go to India and Pakistan, but even Nepal is hoping to multiply its defence budget by 10 times.

Last month, the Bush administration notified Congress that it planned to provide a $1.3 billion arms package to Pakistan, including eight P-3C Orion planes to beef up surveillance of its coasts and borders to stop the movement of terrorists and drug smugglers.

It would be the largest US foreign military sale to Pakistan since sanctions against it were lifted in late 2001 as a reward for supporting US forces fighting the Taliban and al-Qaeda forces in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Besides the Orion surveillance planes, Pakistan is slated to get 2,000 TOW-2A anti-armour guided missiles and six Phalanx Close-in Weapons Systems for its warships, according to defence ofnicials.

Before 9/11, the US had imposed two sets of sanctions on Pakistan, including those put in place after nuclear tests in 1998.

Pakistan is now seeking to buy 40 to 50 F-16 fighter jets, whose agreed transfer was suspended in 1990 due to Islamabad's development of nuclear weapons.

This year's US budget contains $400 million for training and equipping the new Afghan National Army, a $350-million increase of the past year.

Nepal, which received only $1.3 million in foreign military financing from the US betwmen 1990 and 2001, is hoping for a substantial inczease in American military assistance.

After the 9/11 terror attacks in the US, the Bush administration has increased military assistance to Nepal by more than 10 times.