$1 Billion. The price for Pakistan's silence on the Obama "bin Laden" deception.

[Holder Gun Sales]

Pakistan and U.S. close in on $1 billion helicopter, weapons deal

http://in.reuters.com/article/2015/04/08/pakistan-us-defence-
deal-idINKBN0MZ0XS20150408

(Reuters) - Pakistan and the United States moved closer to a
billion dollar defence deal this week, after U.S. authorities
notified Congress of a proposal to supply helicopters and
missiles to sharpen up Pakistan's counter-terrorism efforts.

U.S. ally Pakistan, a nuclear-armed nation of 180 million
people, is fighting a Taliban insurgency in its northwest, a
separatist insurgency along its Iranian border in the west, and
has a heavily militarised and disputed border with arch rival
India in the east.

The $952 million proposal involves the United States supplying
Pakistan with 15 AH-1Z attack helicopters, 1,000 Hellfire
missiles, engines, targeting and positioning systems and other
equipment. But negotiations are not complete.

The helicopters and weapon systems were designed for counter-
terrorism and counter-insurgency operations, especially in the
mountainous Taliban strongholds along the Afghan border, the
U.S. Defence Security Cooperation Agency said.

On Monday, the agency notified Congress of the proposed sale,
noting it would "contribute to the foreign policy and national
security of the United States by helping to improve the security
of a country vital to U.S. foreign policy and national security
goals in South Asia".

The equipment "will not alter the basic military balance in the
region," the agency said.

Pakistani defence officials did not reply to requests for
comment. The United States has been pushing Pakistan to take
action against the Taliban as it withdraws most of its combat
troops from neighbouring Afghanistan, which is facing its own
Taliban insurgency.

James Hardy, the Asia-Pacific editor for IHS Jane's Defence
Weekly, told Reuters the helicopters would help modernize
Pakistan's ageing fleet, some of which had problems with spares
and maintenance.

"Attack helicopters give you 'loiter' capability - you can hang
around, find the target, knock it out," he said. "Right now
Pakistan is using its fast jets for counterinsurgency work."

Pakistan is also trying to finalise a deal to buy eight
submarines from China for a reported cost of between $4 billion
to $5 billion.

China supplied 51 percent of the weapons Islamabad imported in
2010-2014, according to the Stockholm International Peace
Research Institute (SIPRI), which tracks global arms sales.

This year's budget allocated $7 billion to the military. The
police received $800 million.

(Reporting by Katharine Houreld; Editing by Nick Macfie)