WASHINGTON, DC -- Today, Rep. Edward J. Markey (D-MA), a senior member of the Homeland Security Committee and the co-chair of the House Bipartisan Task Force on Non-Proliferation, redoubled his efforts to halt the sale of nuclear-capable F-16 aircraft to Pakistan upon the news that Islamabad has initiated construction of yet another new plutonium production reactor.

“Pakistan now has two new nuclear bomb factories under construction, and the Bush administration is doing nothing to stop them. Even worse, President Bush is continuing with the misguided sale of American-built F-16 aircraft which would enable Pakistan to deliver the nuclear warheads that these two reactors will produce. We need to halt the sale of these nuclear-capable F-16s to Pakistan, we need to halt the construction of the new plutonium production reactors, and we need to halt the arms race in South Asia. That’s why I plan to reintroduce my legislation to stop the F-16 sales unless Pakistan terminates these new reactors.”

Information on Rep. Markey's original action last year is available here.