COLOMBO: Pakistan has offered Sri Lanka a defence pact to boost military cooperation between the two countries, Pakistani officials said on Friday.
Foreign Minister Shah Mehmud Qureshi made the offer to his Sri Lankan counterpart Rohitha Bogollegama on the sidelines of a South Asian meeting in Colombo, the officials said. “A (draft) defence cooperation agreement has been given to Sri Lanka,” said a senior Pakistani official who did not wish to be named.
Islamabad is already an important supplier of small arms and ammunition to Sri Lankan security forces, who are battling separatist Tamil Tiger rebels, and Pakistan is also training a large number of Sri Lankan military personnel.
“We want Sri Lanka to quickly move on that (the draft agreement),” the Pakistan diplomatic official said, adding the pact was intended to bring the two sides closer. There was no immediate comment from Sri Lankan authorities on the Pakistani proposal.
Details of the defence pact offer were not immediately available. Qureshi told reporters here on Thursday after meeting with his Indian counterpart Pranab Mukherjee that military cooperation between Pakistan and Sri Lanka did not figure in their talks.
Good. Though i’m all for Pakistan helping Sri Lanka fight the terrorism inflicted on the island nation by LTTE, i think Pakistan needs to balance the outer scope with just as much inner scope and interest in the internal security situation of the nation as well.
What implications do you see if this pact is agreed upon? Will India be okay with it? Will RAW fund LTTE to undermine the pact?
The scope for such a pact is very limited.Pakistan has offered it but it is up to the Lankans to accept it.Because they do not want to antagonize India ,the regional force .Srilanka ,just can not afford to do such a mistake.
Srilanka is purely at India's mercy because it takes just hours for things to take a U-turn,if RAW decides to continue it's support to L.T.T.E ,which has been in freezer for nearly 17 years.Srilanka isvery careful.Thy know that any mistake they do now will finish their slightly upperhand FORVER ,they have scored over L.T.T.E recently.
An official draft given to an official of the Sri Lanka Govt.
So, are you going to show us a source for your insider bit about 'but any new deal from pak has to be approved by delhi first...' or was that just....u know....randomness? :)
The two nations may not agree to a draft due to many reasons, some which include financial burden.
And until Sri Lanka or Delhi spells it out that Sri Lanka cannot trade with Pakistan for its defensive measure before seeking Delhi's approval, then get back to us. We'd be obliged..
Till then...it's just presumptions and kiteflying but there's no wind. :D
Either which way if the defence pact is not signed u know who spoiled the party... do u expect india to say it publicly???
Defence pact at this point of time doesnt make any sense especially at a time when lankan army is on the offensive and the TIGERS have lost many of their key men...
There is no place for finacial burdens as Srilanka has already purchased weapons from Isreal and other nations and ofcourse a country will go for arms import according to their fiscal budget only..But from Pakistan,they have to think about it seriously.The moment they take such a decision,the entire scenario in Lanka will be different.
That will be a `historical blunder' Srilanka will be doing.
