Balochistan

New F-16s moved to air base near Quetta

Block 52 F-16 jet fighters stationed at Shahbaz airbase near Jacobabad moved to Samungli airbase near Quetta.

Express September 05, 2010

ISLAMABAD: Three of the Pakistan Air Force (PAF)’s newest acquisitions Block 52 F-16 jet fighters – previously stationed at the Shahbaz airbase near Jacobabad – have been moved to the Samungli airbase near Quetta, sources told The Express Tribune on Saturday. The Shahbaz base was under the threat of being flooded in August. The exact date on which the jets were flown to Quetta could not be ascertained.

However, an official said that the jets will be moved back to the Shahbaz airbase as soon the flood situation improves.

The report said that some members of the technical support team from the Lockheed Martin (the aircraft manufacturer and other officials of the US Air Force, had left the Shahbaz airbase for Quetta, but other members are still there.

Federal Health Secretary Kamran Lashari told a Senate committee last month that the US presence at the base was preventing its use for flood relief operations in Sindh. The PAF and the US Embassy had strongly rejected the statement.

The flood threat was averted because of a comprehensive plan to secure the Shahbaz airbase soon after the floodwaters entered Punjab.

According to the safety plan, the authorities had dug up a canal around the base to prevent the floodwaters from entering the aircraft hangars. Over 22 water lifting pumps are dumping back the floodwaters from the canal back into the Indus River. The base is safe and secure because of this extraordinary safety plan, built with the financial and technical assistance of the US at a cost of millions of dollars.

The fleet of F-16 aircraft arrived in June at the newly-upgraded base, which is under the PAF’s Southern Air Command. Earlier, the base, was being used as a Forward Operating Base by the PAF, but very recently it has been upgraded to house the new F-16 aircraft by installing equipment and radar system.

Published in The Express Tribune, September 5^th, 2010.

COMMENTS (7)

SJ | 14 years ago | Reply @ marc... bro u r rite !!!! its not the responsibility of the armed forces of Pakistan to do this!!!! we blame the armed forces but its the failure of the political govt!!!! they say it is because of inheritance from MUSH but the fact is that even american president has started reversing Bush strategies by pulling out from Iraq..... is our leadership so incompetent that they cant even change... and not to mention all the positive things Mr Mushaaraf did!!! they never took that with them along!!!! and about diverting water!!!! if kalabagh would had been completed this could had been stopped!!! @Shahid yeah brother great Job PAF!!! these PAF personnal and of other armed forces are helping the flood effectees but u dont see that!!! sunny the main thing is that a person u cant see positive can act positive!!!! if a glass of water is half filled some say its half empty and somr say its half full!!! i hope u get my point!!!! only a defeated mind can think the way u r thinking!!!! PAKISTAN ZINDABAD!!! AFAJe PAKISTAN PAINDABAD!!!

Marc | 14 years ago | Reply @ those who seem unreasonably angry at PAF, US made F-16 and Amreka should direct their frustration at weather officals and water-management officials who failed to forsee and plan for floods, your elected waderas, Bhuttos, Zardaris, Sharifs, Chaudrys, Maliks and Bugtis etc who saved their untaxed lands from floods and let you drown & finally yourself for looking at others instead of taking action locally as a community. FYI those American and PAF helicopters saved millions. What did you do?

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ASMAT JAMAL | 14 years ago | Reply If Pakistan has friends like your reporters they donot need enemy. Is this a news or a military move. Has your information served the people of Pakistan or you have provided free of cost information to the enemy of Pakistan? The enemy would have taken some time and spent some resources to know the movement and in the process exposed some of its resources, however you have done it for free. Donot you think that there is a difference between "responsible reporting" and just reporting.

Taha | 14 years ago | Reply Perhaps such "extraordinary safety plan" should also have been implemeted at other places to save the precious lives, land and homes of the People of Pakistan. Digging up canals require only man power, if machinery were not avaialble, and not millions. Moreover such man power is abundant within our county; who would have not opted to save his home?

Shahid | 14 years ago | Reply So even after breaches were made in embankments across the region to save the base, it could not be totally saved and the lives of millions ruined thus served no benefit. People who've been sacrificing everything for "defence" since 1947, sacrificed their homes, crops and wealth for PAF Shahbaz and still it wasn't enough. Great job PAF!

Syed Nadir El-Edroos | 14 years ago | Reply The base was "saved" by diverting water into Baluchistan which wrecked havoc for thousands of people! Unfortunately their "sacrifices" wont be recognized". In any other sphere products made by a US company with Jews on the board of directors would be critisizied, but when we pay hundreds of millions of dollars of money that we don't have to buy weapon systems we attach national pride to it! Shameful! Can we get a refund?

Talha | 14 years ago | Reply Maybe these new F-16's can be used to bomb the floods away.

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