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The Washington Timeswww.washingtontimes.com Bush irks India by selling fightersBy Sharon BehnTHE WASHINGTON TIMESPublished March 26, 2005 The Bush administration yesterday announced the sale of F-16 fighter jets to its anti-terrorism ally, Pakistan, a major policy shift in the region that irked Pakistan's longtime nuclear rival India.     Pakistan, the only nuclear-armed Muslim-majority nation, is seen as critical to the U.S. strategy in the region. A senior administration official said yesterday there was "no set limit" on what Washington would be willing to sell to Islamabad.

ISLAMABAD: General Peter Schoomaker, Chief of Staff US Army, called on President General Pervez Musharraf here on Tuesday. The President recalled the excellent ties that existed between the armed forces of Pakistan and the United States. President Pervez Musharraf wished General Schoomaker a pleasant and professionally rewarding stay in the country. He expressed hope that the US army chief's visit would help further strengthen the common position and views on the prevailing international and regional geo-strategic situation. General Schoomaker thanked the president and the Pakistan Army for exalted hospitality being extended to him and members of the delegation. He termed...

NEW DELHI, March 19: A day after US Secretary of State Colin Powell anointed Pakistan as a key non-Nato ally, India on Friday announced a major warplanes deal with Britain , but analysts say New Delhi is only masking its own quest to line up likewise as a US ally. The Indian government maintained a studied official silence on Mr Powell's comment on Pakistan's new status as also on his remarks later that Washington would welcome similar ties with New Delhi. Prime Minister Atal Bihari Vajpayee's government, which openly declares itself as a strategic partner of the United States, had...

WASHINGTON: The Bush administration has struck another Faustian deal with Pakistan to forgive its nuclear proliferation and enhance its ally status in exchange for help in the war on terrorism, according to US analysts. Washington's declaration of Pakistan as a "Major non-Nato Ally" is being widely seen here as a quid pro quo for delivering Zawahiri and Osama bin Laden. Despite protestations from the administration that such a tag has been in the works of "months and months and months," the timing of the announcement – during Colin Powell's visit to Islamabad amid a firefight – suggests an urgent barter,...

Agreement for $460m write-off next month ISLAMABAD, March 18: The United States would sign a formal agreement with Pakistan in April to write off its $460 million debt under the previously-agreed US financial assistance package. This was agreed to here on Thursday during a meeting between US Under Secretary of State for Economic Affairs Alan Larson and Finance Minister Shaukat Aziz. Mr Larson also informed the minister that the US Exim Bank had upgraded Pakistan's rating which would mean that the bank will offer expanded financing facility to Pakistan's public-sector entities. An official statement said Mr Larson also assured of...

US Secretary of State Colin Powell says there is no pressure on Pakistan to sign the nuclear Non Proliferation Treaty. He says recent evidence suggests that Osama bin Laden is alive and hiding in the area between Pakistan and Afghanistan, but the US does not plan to increase the number of its troops in Afghanistan. In an exclusive interview with Hamid Mir for Pakistan's Geo TV in Islamabad, Powell discussed the war against terrorism and India-Pakistan relations.You have declared Pakistan a non-NATO ally of the US. Do you want Pakistan to allow US troops to operate in Pakistan?Declaring Pakistan a...

Since Saddam Hussein's weapons of mass destruction haven't been found yet (he had them, it's just a question of where they went,) many of our supposed "allies" are turning into weak-kneed Islamic terrorism appeasers. You have the Al Qaeda-backed election in Spain, and now the president of Poland says he was also "misled." The real reason these countries have joined the axis of weasels is because they have abandoned the war on terrorism. Too bad for them. We'll have to keep that in mind the next time they need something. But let's talk about a real ally in the war...

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan - The United States wrote off $1 billion in Pakistani debt in a ceremony in the capital on Saturday, one of the rewards for President Gen. Pervez Musharraf's support for the war on terrorism. The debt relief represents nearly one third of what Pakistan owes the United States. The rest of the money was rescheduled on more favorable terms last year with approval from Congress. "Today's signing represents a promise kept and another milestone in our expanding partnership," U.S. Ambassador Nancy Powell said at a signing ceremony with Pakistani officials. Powell added that "the United States is in...