Arms Sales to Pakistan

In response to your editorial, “Tale of Two Cozy Relationships,” March 11:

Equating Pakistan to Iraq is absurd, and an insult to the friendship between the United States and people and government of Pakistan. More education about Pakistan is in order.

Pakistan has been a loyal ally of the United States for the past 40 years. The friendship has stood the test of time. Right after independence in the ‘50s, Pakistan chose to be closer to the U.S. rather than the Soviet Union. Pakistan was a part of the U.S. military alliances SEATO and CENTO. During the ‘70s Pakistan was the crucial bridge used by Secretary of State Henry Kissinger to approach China. During the ‘80s Pakistan was the sole bulwark against Soviet communism in Afghanistan. In the ‘90s Pakistan was part of Operation Desert Storm against Saddam Hussein.

The U.S. government is totally justified in supporting its south Asian ally that is strategically more important now because of the emergence of six new Muslim republics in Central Asia. Pakistan will be instrumental in keeping these republics away from Iranian fundamentalism. Pakistan’s nuclear program is a bid for survival by the only nation on Earth that was broken up by force after World War II. The U.S. understands the “never again” Pakistani spirit of survival. Pakistan needed the F-16 spare parts, and the U.S. government allowed the legitimate needs. This is not a “cozy” marriage of convenience, it is an act of friendship.

MOIN ANSARI

Irvine