Ackerman opposes selling F-16 to Pak

AFTER The Washington Post broke the news that Pakistan is building a nuclear reactor that can manufacture some 40-50 plutonium bombs every year, senior Congressman Gary Ackerman who is also Democratic co-chair of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans, has urged not to support sale of F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan.

In a letter dated June 24, he urged the Congressmen to cosponsor his legislation to prohibit the sale F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan. Marked Dear Colleague Ackerman said his bill would block the Bush Administration’s proposal to sell Pakistan three dozen F-16’s for $5 billion.

Ackerman on June 20 had introduced legislation in the House of Representatives for blocking the sale of F-16 to Pakistan. The legislation at present is pending before the House International Relations Committee of which Ackerman is a member.

Though the key House Committee is yet to take a decision on this bill, in another meeting last week it approved the sale despite the majority of members having serious differences with the Bush Administration on this issue.

In his letter to the Congressmen Ackerman wrote: In the context of a pending sale by the United States of F-16 fighter-bombers, the import of the story is truly alarming.

He said that despite assurances by the Bush Administration that these aircraft will not be misused, or their technology transferred to other countries like China, once these planes have been delivered to Pakistan, there is, in fact, absolutely nothing we can do to prevent misuse.

Based on history and strategic analysis, there is every reason to believe the contrary, that these F-16s will be drafted for use as nuclear weapons delivery vehicles, and that they will be picked apart by potential adversaries to answer questions about our aviation capabilities, he alleged.

The sale of F-16s has nothing whatsoever to do with the requirements of the war on terror, and everything to do with plutonium-producing heavy-water reactor Islamabad has found resources to procure, Ackerman said.

In an exclusive report, The Washington Post said satellite images available with it and verified by analysts revealed that the new nuclear site is adjacent its plutonium production reactor and have a capacity of some 1,000 MW.