that I made to the Press on my arrival at Palam airport after visiting several capitals. He has based his first question on a wrong quotation from my statement. And I am not expected to reply if the statement is read out of context, and also the statement upon which he bases his question is not correct. I never made any statement to mislead anybody, and the charge is absolutely ill-founded and ill-conceived.
In the second question he says that there is a new change in the situation on account of the process of detente that has been started between the People's Republic of China and the USA. It is a very significant development, and I have already made a public statement about this new development. But I do not see as to what connection this has with the US supply of arms. Both the USA and China have been supplying arms to Pakistan even before this process of détente, and I do not see what is the qualitative change, at any rate, in this process of detente. This is a separate, significant development. But at this moment we are discussing the question of arms supply to Pakistan by the USA. The third question he asked was, whether as a result of Pakistan’s efforts to serve the United States and China to come closer to each other, is Pakistan likely to get more arms? I cannot reply to this question either in the affirmative or negative. All that I know of is, even without this Pakistan we getting arms and is likely to continue to get arms both from the People's Republic of China and also from the US, then lastly he asked whether I am able to say what is the total quantity involved in these transactions. I have already said that the figure given by Senator Church of 35 million dollars worth of equipment being in the pipeline does appear to be correct. Whether any more arms come or not I cannot say because I cannot fore see or foretell what the future supply is likely to be.
Shri Lokanath Misra: Under the agreement orders mostly have been placed. There must be some figure in the agreement. I went to know whether he knows anything about the figure.
Sardar Swaran Singh: There is not one agreement, Mr. Misra. You should try to understand that they have placed several orders, under that relation of the original ban, which the US Government had placed after the 1965 conflict. There are to separate things. One is exception to supply of non-lethal equipment. I have said that the quantity in the pipeline is likely to be of the value of about 35 million dollars. Whether more will come I cannot speak on behalf of the US Government but perhaps he can, Mr. Misra, notwithstanding his protest to the contrary. Then he asked about the press statement about USSR's supply of spares for military equipment to Pakistan. The USSR Government has very clearly made a statement that after April, 1970 they have not supplied any arms or any spares to Pakistan and I have no information to the contrary. We should accept the word of the Government of USSR when they categorically say that they have not supplied any arms or any equipment or any spares to Pakistan after April, 1970.
Shri Sundar singh bhandari (Rajasthan): Have they included spares?
Sardar swaran singh: Yes.
Shri Lokanath Misra: The US also said specifically.
Sardar Swaran singh: I do not think they have said so specifically. If they have said that have not supplied, I will accept that statement.
