Israel is reported to have exported to Pakistan a range of military equipment purchased from Britain, but Islamabad denied the claim with a spokesman for the Directorate of Inter-Services Public Relations describing it as “baseless”.
“The report is misleading and not based on facts,” he said.
The claim was made by the Israeli liberal newspaper Haaretz citing a report of the British Government’s Department for Business, Innovation and Skills (BIS) which oversees security exports.
“According to the government report, Israel has exported security equipment over the past five years to Pakistan and four Arab countries. The report, which deals with British government permits for arms and security equipment exports, says that in addition to Pakistan, Israel has exported such equipment to Egypt, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates and Morocco,” it said.
A BIS spokesperson said there was no specific report on Israeli export of British security equipment to Pakistan, but it routinely released data on arms exports, including details of whether the arms were intended to be passed on to a third country. The Haaretz claim appeared to have been based on data indicating that British components sold to Israel eventually found their way to Pakistan. These included radar systems and parts for fighter jets.
Britain, however, refused licences for systems that Israel intended to export to India, Russia, Sri Lanka, Turkmenistan and Azerbaijan.
According to Haaretz , from January 2008 to December 2012, British authorities processed hundreds of Israeli applications to purchase military items for use by the Israel Defence Forces (IDF), or to go into systems exported to third countries.
Among the countries to which Israel exported equipment were several with which it did not have diplomatic relations. Besides Pakistan, its clients included Egypt, Algeria, the United Arab Emirates, and Morocco.
In 2011, Israel sought to purchase British components to export radar systems to Pakistan. Other items included electronic warfare systems, Head-up Cockpit Displays parts for fighter jets and aircraft engines, optic target acquisition systems, components of training aircraft, and military electronic systems.
In 2010, it applied for permits to export to Pakistan electronic warfare systems containing British components.
