Pakistan offers to sell Kuwait Al-Khalid tanks: Daily Times

NEW YORK: Pakistan has offered to sell its indigenously built Al-Khalid battle tanks to Kuwait to bolster the sovereign Arab emirate’s defence, Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Wednesday. Addressing a press briefing following meetings between President Asif Ali Zardari and world leaders on the sidelines of a United Nations meeting on interfaith dialogue, the foreign minister said President Zardari had invited Kuwait to attend the International Defence Exhibition and Seminar, IDEAS-2008, in November, at a meeting with its ruler – Sheikh Sabah Al-Ahmad Al-Jaber Al-Sabah. Zardari said the two countries had a range political, economic and defence ties, but stressed that relations needed to be strengthened further.

Qureshi said the president had also invited the Kuwaiti ruler to visit Pakistan – and the offer was accepted. The minister said Pakistan offered the Al-Khalid tanks to Kuwait describing them as an “attractive purchase because of their price and quality”.

The tank weighs of 46 tonnes and carries three troops. Fitted with a 1,200-horsepower, water-cooled diesel engine and a maximum speed of 70 kilometres per hour, it has a 125-millimetre, smooth bore main gun, a 7.62-millimetre, co-axial machinegun and a 12.7-millimetre, remote-firing anti-aircraft gun. The power-to-weight ratio is 26 horsepower per tonne.

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BD shows interest in defence equipment: Dawn

By Iftikhar A. Khan
ISLAMABAD, Oct 21: The visiting army chief of Bangladesh, Gen Moeen U. Ahmed, has expressed interest in purchasing military equipment from Pakistan and sought the country�s assistance in upgrading a fleet of T-59 tanks through a joint venture.

He met the Joint Chiefs of the Staff Committee Chairman, Gen Tariq Majid, on Tuesday.

The Bangladesh�s army chief, who is here on a six-day official visit, also held meetings with Chief of the Army Staff Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani and Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar.

During his meeting with the JCSC chairman, he showed interest in obtaining assistance in the overhauling of Bangladesh Air Force (BAF) aircraft, holding of Special Forces joint exercises with Pakistan and the purchase of communications equipment.

Gen Moeen also proposed to exchange instructors at the staff college level on mutual basis. He exchanged views focusing on matters of mutual interest, regional security and enhancement of defence ties.

Gen Tariq Majid highlighted the importance of special relations that exist between the two countries, which are characterised by religious affinity and commonality of views.

Both expressed satisfaction on the present level of military cooperation and stressed to further enhance the ties by holding joint training exercises, courses, joint venture in defence production and purchase of defence equipment.

Gen Majid said that Pakistan and Bangladesh share common perception on regional and international issues and emphasised the need to enhance common efforts and cooperation to further develop upon common objectives.

Gen Moeen U Ahmed visited the General Headquarters and called on Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.

Both sides agreed to enhance their existing level of defence relationship.

They also discussed strategic issues to develop common understanding.

On arrival at the General Headquarters, General Moeen U Ahmed was presented a guard of honour. He reviewed the parade and took salute from smartly turned out contingent of the Pakistan Army.

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Pakistan guarantor of Lanka's sovereignty: Asian Tribune

Tue, 2008-08-05 05:34 

By Janaka Perera in Colombo

Colombo, 05 August, (Asiantribune.com): Sri Lanka Broadcasting Chairman Hudson Samarasinghe said yesterday (August 4) that India cannot threaten and bulldoze her way into Sri Lanka in the same way she did in 1987 because the world has changed much since then. 

Samarasinghe recalled how the Indians – during the "Operation Vadamarachchi" - 'appealed' to the then Sri Lankan Prime Minister Ranasinghe Premadasa, "Please tell your President to stop the war" That was the start of the Indian interference that prevented Sri Lanka from nipping the Tiger menace in the bud. (Premadasa, along with the National Security Minister Lalith Athulathmudali, was among the strongest opponents of Indian intervention). 

The SLBC Chairman made this observation during his usually hard-hitting, daily news analysis over the Isira Sinhala Radio Channel of which he is the CEO. Participating with him in the program regularly is Shan Wickremasinghe, Chairman / Proprietor, Teleshan Networks Limited (TNL) which operates Isira.

Samarasinghe however stressed the need for Sri Lanka to prepare to defend herself if Tamil Nadu one fine day secedes from India. In the event of TN becoming an independent State there is absolutely no doubt that she will invade Sri Lanka over the Tamil issue, he warned. 

These comments came in the wake of the reported results of a recent survey conducted by the Tamil Nadu magazine 'Ananda Vikatan' which stated that 54.25 percent of people there support the LTTE and that many of them were proud that the Tigers possessed a standing army.

Samarasinghe also drew attention to the BBC report on Tamil National Alliance Leader R. Sambandan meeting Indian Prime Minister Manmohan Singh during his Sri Lanka visit. Sambandan has reportedly told the Indian Premier that if the LTTE is branded a terrorist organization then the Sri Lankan government was a terrorist organization three times over.

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