Pakistan does some US dirty work
By Syed Saleem Shahzad
KARACHI - Pakistan's seven-year association with the United States' "war on
terror" has moved to a new and dangerous level: the US has given it a contract
to build 1,000 Humvees for use by troops in Afghanistan against the Taliban-led
insurgency.
The fact that Pakistan is now providing the hardware for the "war on terror" is
a highly sensitive issue, given the already inflammatory situation that exists
in the country over Islamabad siding with Washington in this fight against
terrorism.
Asia Times Online has learned that Pakistan's Heavy Industries Taxila (HIT) has
been given the order for an undisclosed sum for the Humvees - high mobility
multipurpose wheeled vehicles. HIT, located 35 kilometers to the west of the
capital Islamabad, is the
leading engineering and manufacturing center for the armed forces in Pakistan,
with a workforce of over 6,000.
Work on the Humvees has already begun, although the task is being undertaken in
secret. HIT has the capabilities to build main battle tanks, armored recovery
vehicles, armored personnel carriers and other military equipment. Humvees are
currently produced by AM General, an American heavy vehicle manufacturer based
in South Bend, Indiana.
According to contacts at the plant who spoke to ATol, the Humvees are just the
first of many orders to come for the manufacture of armaments for use in
Afghanistan.
ATol contacted the Ministry of Defense Production, under which HIT operates,
and was directed by a Major Raza Hasan to the director general of
Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR), Major General Athar Abbas, as the
minister was not available. Abbas said he had no knowledge of the matter of the
Humvees and would call back after speaking with HIT. At time
of publication, he had not done so.
A widening war
The winter season has begun, but the heat of fighting is not getting any cooler
in the South Asian war theater, indeed, it is becoming cauldron-hot.
The Taliban have shown unprecedented resilience and the scope of the
battlefield has broadened from the border provinces with Pakistan to the main
urban centers of Afghanistan. Whether it is newly formed American bases in
Nuristan and Khost provinces, or the British base in Lashkar Gah, they have
either been overrun or placed under constant siege by the Taliban.
Now, the strategic backyard of the "war on terror", Pakistan, is feeling the
heat. Just as Kabul is under siege by the Taliban and communication links
leading to Kabul have been disrupted by the Taliban, Islamabad is under siege
by the Taliban and militants in the tribal areas on the border with
Afghanistan.
Increasingly frequent raids by US special forces into Pakistan from Afghanistan
and the use of Predator drones to target militants has angered many in
Pakistan, and even caused dissent within the ranks of the armed forces.
That Pakistan is now producing hardware that could conceivably be used inside
Pakistan against its people will rankle even more.
Further, as reported by ATol, the US is establishing a large base inside
Pakistan at Tarbella, 20 km from Islamabad, officially said to be used to train
Pakistani troops and to take part in operations in the tribal areas. (See
Pakistan, US await
militant showdown Asia Times Online, October 7, 2008.)
However, it is suspected the base will be used for US operations inside
Pakistan and Afghanistan. American trainers are working out an arrangement for
joint ventures with a selective group of Pakistani Frontier Corps.
The US already plans a military surge in Afghanistan with an additional brigade
(4,000 to 5,000 troops) in January and possibly two or three more brigades
later in the year. These will be reinforcements, not replacements. This will
further "Americanize" the North Atlantic Treaty Organization mission in
Afghanistan. Already, 26,000 of the 63,000 total international forces in the
country are American. At the same time, the Afghan National Army is being
expanded to 122,000 personnel and a rudimentary air force is being created.
It is against this backdrop that the US has turned to Pakistan for the
manufacture of armaments to supply these new demands both within Pakistan and
in Afghanistan.
Syed Saleem Shahzad is Asia Times Online's Pakistan Bureau Chief. He can
be reached at saleem_shahzad2002@yahoo.com
(Copyright 2008 Asia Times Online (Holdings) Ltd. All rights reserved. Please
contact us about
sales, syndication and
republishing.)
Head
Office: Unit B, 16/F, Li Dong Building, No. 9 Li Yuen Street East,
Central, Hong Kong Thailand Bureau:
11/13 Petchkasem Road, Hua Hin, Prachuab Kirikhan, Thailand 77110
