Pak will not use arms against India, ensures US

With India expressing concern over American military aid to Pakistan being used against it, the United States today said it has put in place measures to ensure that the arms supplied to Islamabad are used only for fighting terrorism.

"I would like to ensure you on the arms sales to Pakistan for counter terrorism; our Congress is very vigilant, very determined and very tenacious, that what purpose the weapons are used for," US Ambassador to India Timothy J Roemer told mediapersons in Bengaluru.

He was asked to react on Indian concerns over the use of arms supplied by the US to Pakistan for counter terrorism against India.

The Indian government has conveyed its displeasure over the issue to the US government on various occasions during bilateral meetings. The US ambassador said President Barrack Obama was also very "vigilant" on the issue and had reportedly told Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari that the US would not be part of any military build up against India.

Roemer said the Oversight Committees in the US Congress were "extremely aggressive and vigorous" about arms sales to countries and when the arms are sold, they are very particular that those arms be used in a particular way.

"There are measures in place put by our legislative and executive branch that these arms are used for what they are meant for," he added.

According to reports, the US has cleared the sale of a whole array of sophisticated weapons such as laser guided bomb kits, surveillance drones and latest-model F-16 fighter jets to Pakistan to boost its forces capability to strike in remote tribal areas to take on Taliban and Al Qaeda militants.

India has been asking the US administration to ensure that the arms are not used against Indian interests.