New Delhi: With fewer and fewer countries supplying weapons to it, Pakistan is resorting to subterfuge. For torpedoes from Leonardo, an Italian firm with which India has resumed discussions after banning it for seven years, in the wake of the Augusta-Westland helicopter scam, Pakistan is going via Turkey.

ASFAT, a Turkish government-owned defence manufacturing firm, was subcontracted to deliver 8 A244/S light-weight anti-submarine torpedoes to the Pakistan Navy. Manufactured by WASS, these torpedoes with a range of 12-13 km, can be launched from surface ships and aircraft. The price tag is 9.5 million Euro.

Before India lifted the ban on Leonardo, Pakistan had been in touch with Leonardo. According to high-level sources, a 6-member delegation of Pakistan Navy officers headed by Rear Admiral Abdul Samad, the chief project director, was in Leonardo's Torpedo Production Centre to assess the products and for demonstrations. With India lifting the ban, and New Delhi unofficially making it clear that the transfer of high-grade weaponry to Islamabad will not go down well, Pakistan may be left in the cold.

Leonardo's A244/S Black Arrow torpedoes apart, the Pakistan Navy is in touch with China, a traditional supplier, for the LY-70 air-defence systems and have asked the manufacturers for a budget proposal.

The LY-70 intercepts rockets, cruise and ballistic missiles, precision-guided bombs and unmanned aerial vehicles. It is a medium and short-range system and can be easily moved.