Following India's decision to acquire the latest Israeli Phalcon airborne warning and control system, Pakistan has asked the United States to supply it airborne radars, F-16 aircraft, unmanned aerial vehicles and Cobra helicopters.
"Pakistan believes that a conventional balance was the key to maintaining peace between India and Pakistan and the nuclear threshold will come down if this balance is disturbed," Pakistan Defence Secretary Lieutenant General (retd) Hamid Nawaz Khan said on his arrival from Washington after attending the four-day Pak-US Defence Co-ordination Group meeting.
"The US understands that a conventional balance is key to maintaining peace in South Asia," local daily Dawn quoted Khan, who headed the Pakistan delegation, as saying.
Khan said during his talks with US officials, including US Defence Secretary Donald Rumsfeld, he urged the Bush administration to consider selling more F-16 jets to Pakistan.
Asked why Pakistan was so anxious to acquire the F-16s, Khan said, "Recent Israeli sales to India have disturbed the conventional balance.
"We told the Americans that you must restore the balance. We should also get similar equipment for balance. We believe that the US should have stopped Israel from selling the Phalcon early warning system to India.
"But now that the sale is taking place, it is important that the convention balance is maintained. It is absolutely essential for our defence."
The US response was not known immediately, but a joint statement issued after the talks that ended on Thursday did not mention the aircraft or any specific equipment.
Four months ago US President George W Bush had rejected a similar request of President Pervez Musharraf at their Camp David summit. Pakistan wanted US to permit buying two squadrons of F-16 from Belgium.
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