Given Pakistan’s past record, the United States is deeply concerned over how Pakistan uses the latest injection of $859.8 million in aid, proposed by the Obama administration. It will monitor if it is used to fight terrorism and safeguard its nuclear facilities, for which it is intended, said Dr Mark Bucknam, a former Pentagon official and a National Security Strategy expert at the National War College, Washington.
Speaking to The Hindu on Thursday, Dr Bucknam referred to reports from Washington on the Obama administration’s proposal for financial aid, including $265 million for military hardware. The budget proposals by US Secretary of State John Kerry made a reference to fresh aid for sustaining relations with Pakistan and making progress to “disrupt, dismantle and defeat violent extremist groups”, reports said.
Reacting to the reports, Dr Bucknam, who retired as a colonel from the US Air Force after 30 years of service and served as the Director for Campaign and Contingency Plans at the Pentagon for four years, said, “There are three main components. The bulk of the aid is not military. Secondly, most of the military aid, it is supposed to fight terrorism, and the other thing is we are giving some of this aid in our intention to help Pakistan to secure its nuclear facilities.”
Referring to US concerns over Pakistan misusing the aid, Dr Bucknam said, “Of course, because of the history. Why did the US have an alliance with Pakistan to begin with? Because we bought into the idea that they could be a reliable partner to oppose Soviet expansion, and help fight communism. What did they do? They took the hardware we gave them in 1965, and they attacked India. We were not happy with that, and we cut off aid for a while. The aid is supposed to be for fighting terrorism. Will they use it for that is the question.”
Clarifying that these were his personal views and not those of the US government, he said, “I think that’s a problem that we will continue to manage and so we will watch very carefully what they do with the equipment they buy. We will look to see if that is used in the border areas of Afghanistan. We will look to see if they go after the Haqqani network and others. I think we could take stronger actions, particularly against those ISI officers we suspect to be involved.”
Dr Bucknam explained that over the years, the US had strongly “conditioned” the aid going to Pakistan to ensure that it was less military and more for civilian development, much to the consternation of the Pakistani military establishment. “The Pakistani military is incensed by this. They want their money, their military equipment, but not with strings attached,” he said adding that Pakistan has turned to China and Russia when US made it harder to get aid.
“So, we tried to maintain the influence we can to move things in the right direction, but it’s not something the US administration has been satisfied with and it’s something that’s going to be a long-term programme trying to nudge them (Pakistan) in the right direction,” he added.
Dr Bucknam also expressed US concern over Pakistan’s Nasr or Hatf-IX missiles and its use against India. “Pakistan’s development of tactical nuclear weapons, particularly battlefield weapons like Nasr or Hatf-IX missiles, is very worrying. It is said that India and Pakistan keep its nuclear weapons separate from their delivery systems, but you can’t do that with battlefield nuclear weapons. Nasr or Hatf-IX is going to be single unit, a missile attached to the nuclear warhead.”
He said there were questions over control over such weapons in a scenario where a cross-border terror attack on India leads to escalation of tensions between the two countries.
Stating that the US kept Pakistan in the dark about the midnight raid on Osama bin Laden in Abottabad because it did not trust Pakistan, Dr Bucknam dismissed Pakistani complaints about intrusion into its sovereign space. Referring to Pakistan’s repeated inability to control fighters crossing over into Afghanistan and killing US soldiers, he said, “Sovereignty is not just a line on the map. You want to claim sovereignty over that territory, you better exercise your sovereignty. You tell me you cannot control fighters crossing over the Afghanistan border and killing my soldiers, then I don’t need to respect your sovereignty.”
“The Pak military want their money, military equipment, but not with strings attached
Dr Mark Bucknam
