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ISLAMABAD A major trading house, based in Islamabad and focusing on arms trading, has been blacklisted by the Pakistan Air Force after it undermined PAF interests to make extra profits from US manufacturers.
The PAF was seeking new control panels for its Mashaq aircraft, known in professional circles as the MFI 17. The Mashaq is a trainer aircraft not intended for use as an attack or bomber aircraft. Despite this, the trading group with whom the order was to be placed informed the US supplier that the control panel had a weapons component - thereby raising the price and potentially promising more profits for the firm.
Unfortunately, for Pakistan and the PAF, this false statement by the firm also sent alarm bells ringing within the US government circles and threatened to undermine the necessary upgradation of the aircraft.
Nor was this the first time this Pakistani trading house, that represents primarily US companies like Hughes and other arms manufacturers, has undermined the PAFs interests for US interests and profit lures.
Only recently, one of its employees, a retired air force official, sought to give out to the Hughes Corporation that the PAFs demand for more Laser Guided Bombs (LGBs) should be questioned as they had given a wrong number regarding the amount of LGBs used (in Swat operations) and new ones required.
The same company has sought to make inroads into the Pakistani Establishment by hiring retired military officers, as well as retired bureaucrats.
It has now set up an office in Washington D.C. and Christina Rocca is one of the names linked to it. Nor does the company make profits only from arms deals. It started a programme Faucet for IDPs and millions of dollars were channeled through this source.
There are, so far unsubstantiated, rumours in Islamabad that this company has also linked up with Xe Worldwide (Blackwater) in Islamabad.
Pak co undermines PAF for profit | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online
The PAF was seeking new control panels for its Mashaq aircraft, known in professional circles as the MFI 17. The Mashaq is a trainer aircraft not intended for use as an attack or bomber aircraft. Despite this, the trading group with whom the order was to be placed informed the US supplier that the control panel had a weapons component - thereby raising the price and potentially promising more profits for the firm.
Unfortunately, for Pakistan and the PAF, this false statement by the firm also sent alarm bells ringing within the US government circles and threatened to undermine the necessary upgradation of the aircraft.
Nor was this the first time this Pakistani trading house, that represents primarily US companies like Hughes and other arms manufacturers, has undermined the PAFs interests for US interests and profit lures.
Only recently, one of its employees, a retired air force official, sought to give out to the Hughes Corporation that the PAFs demand for more Laser Guided Bombs (LGBs) should be questioned as they had given a wrong number regarding the amount of LGBs used (in Swat operations) and new ones required.
The same company has sought to make inroads into the Pakistani Establishment by hiring retired military officers, as well as retired bureaucrats.
It has now set up an office in Washington D.C. and Christina Rocca is one of the names linked to it. Nor does the company make profits only from arms deals. It started a programme Faucet for IDPs and millions of dollars were channeled through this source.
There are, so far unsubstantiated, rumours in Islamabad that this company has also linked up with Xe Worldwide (Blackwater) in Islamabad.
Pak co undermines PAF for profit | Pakistan | News | Newspaper | Daily | English | Online