[PEN-L:33762] India, Pakistan, poverty and weapons - The News International [Pakistan]

["Ralph Johansen" <michele@xxxxxxxx>]

Fwd by Harsh Kapoor

The News International [Pakistan]
January 12, 2003
http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/jan2003-daily/12-01-2003/oped/o1.htm

Why are we poor?
by Dr Farrukh Saleem

India plus Pakistan is 20 percent of humanity. India plus Pakistan is
a mere 5 percent of world income. India plus Pakistan have 45 percent
of the world's illiterates. India plus Pakistan have 50 percent of all
malnourished children. India just by itself has the world's largest
number of poor people in a single country. In absolute terms, at
least 50 million Pakistanis and 350 million Indians live in extreme
poverty (must earn during the day to eat dinner).

Some 60 years ago, Mahatma Gandhi, the Bapu of all Indians, had said,
"Poverty is but the worst form of violence."

Look at present-day Bombay. The city has ten million people and is the
financial capital of India. Four million of the ten million live in
rough-and-tumble fabrications of bamboo, plastic, wood and tin.
At least a million live and sleep on footpaths. For the rest of India,
poverty remains a Himalayan problem. Which one of the 14 prime
ministers has done anything to save Indians from the worst form of violence?

On 9 August 1947, Quaid-i-Azam, the father of our country, delivered
a speech at the Karachi Club. The Quaid asserted that it is the
"sacred duty of the Sovereign State of Pakistan to solve the problem
of poverty of the people."

Which one of our 11 presidents or 19 prime ministers has paid any
attention to the Quaid's pledge?

Look at present-day Rojhan Jamali,  the birthplace of our Prime Minister
Mir Zafarullah Khan Jamali.  Out of all of PM's constituents the lifetime
goal of at least 90% is to own a Rs2,000 goat.

What really is poverty? According to the World Bank, "Poverty is
hunger. Poverty is lack of shelter. Poverty is being sick and not
being able to see a doctor. Poverty is not being able to go to school
and not knowing how to read. Poverty is not having a job, is fear for
the future, living one day at a time. Poverty is losing a child to
illness brought about by unclean water. Poverty is powerlessness,
lack of representation and freedom." Both India and Pakistan have all
these forms of poverty. Why are we so poor?

Over the last 5 years, India has spent $4.2 billion and Pakistan $2.6
billion on the importation of major conventional weapons. For India
that converts to $4 on a per capita basis and $19 for every Pakistani
man, woman and child. India and Pakistan remained the poorest of all
countries but India is now the 5th largest importer of major
conventional weapons while Pakistan is the 12th largest.

Pakistan is poor because we have purchased billions of dollars of
weapons from China Metallurgical Equipment Corporation,
Lockheed Martin (a billion dollars for F-16s, P-3 Orion, etc) and
Raytheon (Stingers, side-winders and TOW missiles).

Over the past 5 years, we have deposited $1.024 billion
into Chinese coffers, $650 million has gone to Ukraine, $400 million
to France and $250 million each to the UK and the US.

India is poor because she has been enriching Rosoboronexport,
Russia's arms exporting corporation. Most of India's defence kitty
has gone to Russia; $3 billion over the past 5 years alone. The
Netherlands took in $350 million and Germany another $210 million.

We shall continue to be poor.

Under the long-term Indo-Russian military technical cooperation
programme there are some 350 new defence deals in the pipeline -
including the production of Lada class diesel submarines, Gorshkov
aircraft carrier, TU-22M long-range bombers, Akula-II class nuclear
submarines and AWACS. Total tab: $4 billion.

Then there is the BAE Systems Hawk jet deal with the UK.
These 60 Hawks have a price tag of a billion pound sterling which is
the equivalent of nearly ten years of India-UK bilateral trade.

India's neighbour has billion dollar Agostas, so India must also buy
Scorpene 'killer submarines'. France wins, both in India and in
Pakistan.

More recently, Israel Aircraft Industries (IAI) signed a two billion
dollar weapons contract with Hindustan Aeronautics (HAL). The
contract covers $280 million for surface-to-surface naval Barak
missiles, $300 million for pilot-less planes, $250 million for Green
Pine radar systems, Phalcon early-warning aircraft and towed howitzer
for the Indian army.

The US, in the meanwhile, has established a tourist-cum-investor 'no
fly zone' over Pakistan, while our armament wish-list remains heavier
than our GDP. Short-range ballistic missiles, intermediate-range
ballistic missiles, F-16 fighters, surveillance aircraft, Harpoon
missiles, long-range weapon-locating radars, rocket fuel, anti-tank
missiles and combat helicopters. Additional Main Battle Tanks (MBT)
are going to cost $1.5 billion. The PAF wants a multi-billion dollar
package covering Mirage 2000-5s and then there's F7-P4 aircraft from
China and gunship helicopters. Spare parts from the US are also high
on our wish list.

Just who is profiting from the sale of all these machines of death
and destruction?

The top ten exporters of conventional weapons are USA, Russia, France,
UK, Germany, Netherlands, Ukraine, Italy, China and Belarus.

The top corporate merchants of death are Lockheed Martin
(USA), Boeing (USA), BAE Systems (UK), Raytheon (USA), Northrop
Grumman (USA), General Dynamics (USA) and Thomson-CSF (France).

When the poverty-ridden East fills West's craving for drugs there is
talk of 'supply control'. The West remains the chief pretender of
virtue but is the largest seller of arms to the East. The US, for
instance, accounts for a full 50% of the world trade in arms.

Conflict and poverty are the closest of relatives. Look at Ethiopia,
Sierra Leone, Afghanistan, Cambodia, Somalia, Nigeria, Pakistan,
Haiti, Mozambique, Mali, India or Angola. They are all in
conflict - either within or with their neighbours - and they are all
poor. Peace is an essential prerequisite to prosperity. Without peace,
there can't be any poverty alleviation.

India's economy is 800% the size of ours. On a per capita basis, we
have a record of spending 500% more on arms imports than does India.
Which country is likely to run out of resources first? Just who is
most likely to win without firing a shot? There certainly are no
prizes for getting these riddles right.