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The Indian "Concerns"

India concerned over granting MNNA status to Pakistan by US (News Item)

NEW DELHI should not be overly concerned by granting MNNA status by US to Pakistan. ‘Major non-NATO ally’ (MNNA) is about military cooperation, not mutual defense. The US is not committing itself to fighting on Pakistan’s side.

The jungle of Indo-US agreements go well beyond an MNNA agreement. It is only India’s allergy to the word ‘ally’ that keeps it from signing such an agreement itself. This is largely symbolic package for Pakistan.

It collects under one head many existing military cooperation agreements. This package is all about lifting of sanctions on military spare parts and defensive weapons.

Instead I suggest, India should be concerned about two things:

i) the state oppression against innocent Kashmiris' demanding right of self-determination and

ii) the military imbalance that “she” is creating in South Asia by the missile tests it is carrying out these days (to win the General Elections), which will destabilize the ongoing peace process between India and Pakistan!

Afzal Rahim
Islamabad
afzalrahim_@hotmail.com