Pakistan gives nod to security pact with US: Report
Aug 03, 2023
Islamabad [Pakistan], August 4 : Pakistan's cabinet has silently given its nod to the security pact with the US in a significant move that may pave the way for Islamabad to procure military hardware from Washington DC, The Express Tribune reported.
The cabinet through a circulation summary gave its seal of approval in signing the Communication Interoperability and Security Memorandum of Agreement, known as the CIS-MOA, between Pakistan and the US, official sources confirmed to The Express Tribune on Wednesday.
According to the website, the CIS-MOA is a foundational agreement that the US signs with its allies and countries with which it wants to maintain close military and defence ties. It also provides legal cover to the US Department of Defence for ensuring the sale of military equipment and hardware to other countries.
The CIS-MOA first was signed between the Joint Staff Headquarters of Pakistan and the US Department of Defence in October 2005 for 15 years.
The agreement expired in 2020 but the two sides have now renewed that arrangement that covers joint exercises, operations, training, basing and equipment.
The signing of the agreement indicates that the US might sell some military hardware to Pakistan in the coming years, sources told The Express Tribune.
However, a retired senior army officer played down the development.
Pakistan's relationship with the US went downgraded after Pakistan's former Prime Minister Imran Khan claimed that Washington orchestrated a plan to remove him from office and brandished the cypher at a public rally to back his claims.
Notably, A cypher is a secret document that ambassadors in another country send to their country, if they speak wrongly about a country or a person, they have the right to ask for reasons.
