US aid is never unconditional. The strings attached often outweigh the benefits of the package itself. I am saying this with reference to the news item that the US is now selling us F-16s at an inflated price. Whats the use of giving us 2 billion dollars if those dollars will just shift hands internally in the US i.e. go from the government to the arms producers. Wouldnt it be better that the US should just dispense off the pomp and show of giving us aid and just give us a discount on all the arms that we are going to eventually spend the money on. The imperial mindset is alive and well and we may look no further than the Pak-US negotiating table to see it in action.
MURTAZA JAFRI
Lahore
