Link to website of Campaign Against the Arms Trade:

Further to this I have done some research and discovered that the decision to resume arms sales to Pakistan is not a recent one (as I originally thought) and in fact took place in June 2000. A BBC article from the time reports that the ban “has been partially lifted.” The suspension was put in place after the military coup in October 1999.

The partial lifting means that, “Non-contentious exports such as naval equipment - including planes and helicopters - will be allowed. But the UK will not sell small arms or ammunition to Pakistan for fear of them being used in Kashmir”. What exactly is stopping them from using these “Non-contentious exports” in the area is not fully explained, nor even mentioned. The export of other military equipment to the country will be, we are reassured, reviewed on a “case-by-case” basis.

I also discovered that the British Government now making so much of its peace-making role in the region, went even further to help our arms-manufacturers sell their merchandise in India. They targeted the country as “a defence export market” – describing it as “one of the UK’s best kept secrets”. On learning of this in November 2000, Rachel Harford of Campaign Against Arms was appalled “that at a time when India is under embargo by the US, the UK is not only failing to implement an embargo but is actually seeking to sell more weapons.”

She continued, “The international community is on constant red alert as the border dispute between India and Pakistan over Kashmir constantly threatens to erupt into full scale war. The UK government maintains that it is deeply concerned about the situation. Such sentiments are hypocritical. When will this Government start to match its rhetoric with actions and when will it wake up to the fact that by allowing UK companies to arm the countries involved in hot spots like Kashmir, it is guilty of fuelling the very conflicts and repression it condemns. ‘Opportunity India’ serves to further expose the real relationship between this government and arms companies and the shocking influence that arms companies wield over this government.”

In fact according to CAAT, “Since January 1999, we licensed the sale of £122m and £18m of arms to India and Pakistan respectively.” The effect this is likely to have on the Kashmir conflict is clear. It is also worrying when one considers the at best questionable democratic and human rights credentials of our new “friend” in Islamabad, general Musharraff. That the UK was selling arms to the country even when under a US embargo put in place after their nuclear weapons tests makes it even worse. Furthermore, both are blighted by poverty and could far better spend the money elsewhere.

It should also be remembered that until recently links between the Pakistani Government and their Taliban neighbors were far from hostile and the risk of British weapons getting into their hands, or even those of their Saudi guest, was surely a considerable one.

Clearly human rights, democracy, peace, social justice, development and the threat of global terrorism are all far less important than making sure our arms manufacturers make a quick buck.

Aaj Kay Naam's website has moved to www.aajkaynaam.org