A US-based weapons company has turned down a multi-million dollar offer to supply high-tech guns to Pakistan, arguing that these weapons might end up being used against American soldiers.
The decision by Utah-based Desert Technical Arms to turn down such a lucrative offer to supply sniper systems to Pakistan estimated to be worth $15 million was announced by the company recently on its Facebook Page.
"Our greatest fear was that our equipment might be used against US troops. I started this company to protect Americans not endanger them," wrote Nick Young, owner and president of Desert Tactical Arms, noting that the offer presented a 'moral dilemma' for him.
"In consulting with other arms companies the general responses I got was, if they don't buy it from you, then they will get it somewhere else, or money is money. After much internal review we elected not to sell to Pakistan," Young wrote on his Face Book page.
"The current US administration is sponsoring FMS (foreign military sales) arms sales to Pakistan forces. In 2013, we had been approached with a multi-million dollar opportunity to legally supply sniper systems to Pakistan. I was never in the armed services but we employ several military veterans," Young said.
The decision has been welcomed by the company, given the comments after the decision in this regard was announced.
"Any arms sold to Pakistan, there's a risk that those arms would end up being used against American service members," Utah Army National Guard Col. Randy Watt, told the local Desert News.
Watt said though Pakistan is an ally of the US, and its support is needed, but the growing rift between Pakistan's intelligence agency and government are cause for concern, as it is also a country where the Taliban came from and where terrorism mastermind Osama bin Laden was found.
"The company was founded on the principle of keeping Americans and our allied forces safe," the company sales manager Mike Davis was quoted as saying by the local KSL TV.
"We're not saying that Pakistan would get the weapons and do anything bad with them, but there's just a heavy set of unrest over there," he said.
