ISLAMABAD, 27 January 2005 — The five-day meeting of the Pakistan-US Defense Consultative Group (DCG) is slated to begin on Jan. 31 during which Islamabad will press Washington to sell F-16 fighter planes and other military equipment, sources said.
The DCG meeting to be held at the Ministry of Defense, Rawalpindi, will be co-chaired by Defense Secretary Lt. Gen. (Retd) Hamid Nawaz Khan and US Undersecretary of Defense Douglas J. Feith, the sources said.
They said the two sides would discuss cooperation in defense sector with Islamabad focusing on the supply of F-16 fighters during the talks.
The sale of F-16s to Islamabad has been vehemently opposed by pro-Indian US Congressmen. Congressmen Sen. Jon Corzine and Representative Frank Pallone have voiced their opposition to F-16s sale to Islamabad during their recent visit to New Delhi.
However, Pakistani officials believe the Bush administration would not ignore the defense needs of its important ally and come up with a positive response to Islamabad’s demand for F-16 planes.
A senior official here said the DCG is the main forum for discussion on defense and security issues which are of interest to both the countries.
Moreover, he said this would be the first meeting after Pakistan has been given the status of a major non-NATO Ally by the Bush administration.
