New Delhi: The US and Pakistan have renewed a key security part that had lapsed in 2020. The Pakistani cabinet Thursday reportedly gave its nod to the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement (CIS-MOA) with the US.
The CIS-MOA is a foundational pact that allows the US to share defence equipment and technology with its allies. It also ensures the compatibility and security of military communications between the two countries. Moreover, it provides legal cover for the US government to sell defence equipment to other countries, reported The Express Tribune, a Pakistani English-language daily.
The CIS-MOA was first signed by Pakistan and the US in 2005 for a period of 15 years. The renewal of the pact indicates that the US wants to maintain some level of defence cooperation with Pakistan, despite their strained relations over Afghanistan.
India has declined to comment on the renewal of the CIS-MOA. Arindam Bagchi, official spokesperson for the Ministry of External Affairs, said during the weekly media briefing held Thursday that he would not like to comment on what Pakistan or the US are doing with other countries.
“When it comes to decisions concerning our security, it will be taken by our security agencies, the Army, or other relevant authorities. I have already made our position on Pakistan clear to you, and any steps we take will always be from a security perspective,” Bagchi added.
Interestingly, the agreement signed Thursday is similar to the one that India signed with the US in September 2018, known as the Communications Compatibility and Security Agreement (COMCASA), highlighted Manoj Joshi, a distinguished fellow at the New Delhi-based think tank Observer Research Foundation (ORF).
Speaking to ThePrint, Joshi said that in a similar vein to India’s position that any Indian bilateral tie is not directed at any third country, the position of the US is that its relationship with Pakistan is primarily its own business.
He added: “The US in the past has always stated that any defence cooperation agreement is being done to help strengthen Pakistan’s counterterrorism capabilities and not directed at any country.”
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‘US maintains old ties with Pak’
According to The Express Tribune, the renewal of such an agreement might mean that the US could sell some military hardware to Pakistan in the future.
In September 2022, the US approved military assistance worth $450 million for the sustainment and related equipment of the F-16 multirole fighters fleet owned by the Pakistan Air Force (PAF).
“The proposed sale will support the foreign policy and national security objectives of the US by allowing Pakistan to retain interoperability with US and partner forces in ongoing counterterrorism efforts and in preparation for future contingency operations,” read a news release from the Defense Security Cooperation Agency (DSCA) — the agency that looks after foreign military sales as a part of the US Department of Defense (DoD).
The DSCA release, issued on 7 September 2022, added that the proposed $450 million sale would also ensure the sustainment of Pakistan’s F-16 fleet, which would greatly aid the country’s ability to support “counterterrorism operations”.
External Affairs Minister S. Jaishankar in the past has questioned the US on its military deals with Pakistan. During an interaction with the Indian-American community in September 2022 he reportedly said, “For someone to say, I’m doing this because it’s for counter-terrorism when you’re talking of an aircraft like the capability of the F-16, everybody knows where they are deployed.”
According to ORF’s Joshi, the US signed a bilateral defence agreement with Pakistan, which has not been revoked yet.
“The US still maintains old bilateral ties with the military of Pakistan and needs it to keep track of events in Afghanistan. Pakistan is still designated as a Major non-NATO Ally of the US,” he explained.
A Major non-NATO Ally (MNNA) as described by the website of the US Department of State, is a designation under U.S. law that provides partners with certain benefits in the areas of defence trade and security cooperation. MNNA countries are eligible for loans of materials, supplies or equipment for research and development purposes, eligible as a location for US-owned war reserve stockpiles and eligible for consideration to purchase depleted uranium ammunition, among other benefits.
“The Major Non-NATO Ally designation is a powerful symbol of the close relationship the US shares with those countries and demonstrates our deep respect for the friendship for the countries to which it is extended,” stated the website of the US Department of State.
(Edited by Richa Mishra)
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