Did Pakistan Modify Harpoon Missile?

On August 30, 2009, the New York Times ran a story about an allegation coming from the US Congress that Pakistan has reverse-engineered and optimized an American legacy Harpoon missile bought by Pakistan in the 1980s. The timing of this article is rather curious; the story was leaked by anonymous sources on the same day that Pakistani Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani left for a three-day visit to Libya on an invitation from the Libyan government.

Pakistan’s US Ambassador in Washington, DC, Hussain Haqqani, quickly dismissed this story, saying: "The accusations are incorrect and based on wrong intelligence. We will make sure that the US understands the correct picture and we will fight back periodic efforts to falsely blame Pakistan, which remains a critical US ally in fighting terrorism. Instead of false accusations, US media should help Pakistan secure the help it needs to fight our common enemy, viz terrorism."

The most questionable aspect of this story is the source itself; without naming names, the New York Times makes assertions that can neither be proved nor disproved. Over the years this daily has accumulated a bulging clippings file full of splashy, yet often maddeningly unverifiable exposés alleging various shenanigans. How can we forget New York Times’ “exclusive” on the presence of weapons of mass destruction (WMDs) in Iraq?

The story’s unidentified congressional source also requires some attention. When the Congress and Senate resume fall session shortly, they are scheduled to debate a $7.5 billion aid package for Pakistan. Before the House went on summer vacation, there were clear signs that this much-discussed civilian aid will be approved and Pakistan will start seeing money as early as October 2009, which is when the 2010 fiscal year begins for the US government.

This story is possibly a leak from the members of the India Caucus, the largest foreign country caucus in the US Congress. Democrat Congressman Jim McDermott from Washington and Republican Congressman Edward Royce from California are its co-chairs, and its mission states: “The objective of the Congressional Caucus on India and Indian Americans is to push the Indian American community’s agenda on the Hill.”

When the NYT story about Pakistan’s alleged reverse engineering is read with all this background information in mind, perception shifts a bit. Especially, when you consider that India’s Prime Minister Manmohan Singh and Foreign Minister S.M. Krishna are back-pedaling from their Sharm el-Shaik joint statement, it seems plausible that this story is a plant and the brainchild of Indian lobbyists.

As a nation, India’s insecure “Everyone is looking at me! Everyone is talking about me!” attitude is leading its government to involve itself with every aspect of Pakistan’s affairs. If a Pakistani sneezes, India will assume it is because there was a high pollen count in India that day.

There is another, more ominous possibility, though. Perhaps the Obama administration is persisting in the tradition of a popular Bush camp negotiating tactic, and the NYT story is the “stick” that follows promises of aid and engagement with Pakistan’s civil society. This is a high stake “tactic” that was used by the Bush administration; dates of events and the names of people and places, would continuously transform along a trajectory of a lethal narrative. The particular narrative I speak of now is, of course, the war on terrorism. Somehow, the identities of the main players manage to elude the mesmerized spectators, who watch an endless cast of characters all playing the same role of “evildoer” in “multiples theaters of wars.”

In an instant, a cave-dwelling religious fanatic becomes a nationalist dictator. In an instant, an ally becomes an enemy.

Citing unnamed sources, the New York Times writes, “There’s a concerted effort to get [Pakistan] to slow down. Their energies are misdirected.”

This is a good-news, bad-news paradox. As a Pakistani-American, I am encouraged that Pakistanis seem to be rapidly moving north in pursuit of technology. The bad news, however, is more intricate.

Pakistan bought Harpoon missiles from the United States in the 1980s—when Pakistan was ruled by dictator General Zia-ul-Haq—as a gesture of America’s gratitude for assistance in fighting America’s covert war in Afghanistan. Harpoons use active radar homing and a low-level, sea-skimming cruise trajectory to increase lethality. Although Pakistan owns these antiship missiles, any modification would be a violation of the United States Arms Control Export Act.

Has Pakistan really become so technologically sophisticated that it is able to reverse-engineer American Harpoon missiles and P-3C aircrafts? I recently interviewed Peter Singer, author of Wired for War, who is an internationally recognized authority on the use of robotics in warfare. He suggested that Pakistan is also working on drone and robotic technologies. I must ask, though, if Pakistan has so much technical prowess, why doesn’t the government commission experts to reverse-engineer wind turbines and solar technologies to produce much needed electricity?

This is a critical issue and if Pakistan fails to defend itself straightaway, repercussions could be serious. The speed with which the Pakistani embassy in Washington, DC jumped on this issue was a good start. I’m hoping in next couple of days, Pakistan’s government will be able to put everyone at ease.

In the past, Indians who found true love with Bush have been able to put Pakistan on the defensive. And, the Bush administration also talked from both sides of their mouths, maligning Pakistan through leaks in the media while simultaneously supporting Pakistani army generals.

One hopes that the Obama administration recognizes the role Pakistan is playing in the fight against extremism. With any bit of luck, the US government is also cognizant of a long history of friendship with Pakistan: from opening a back-door diplomacy channel with China to assisting in defeating the Soviet Union, Pakistan has delivered everything America has ever asked for. We can only hope that unlike the Clintons and Bushes, the current administration will not be enamored by the Indians. I am confident because at the end of the day, Americans are fair people. They recognize Pakistan’s contribution and understand that aberrations from established norms do exist, and government policy is completely separate from individual acts.