South Asia, one of the poorest and the most populous regions in the world, will be spending billions on weapons in the next fear years, and much of these arms will come from the United States.

As expected, most of the weapons will go to the area's two nuclear rivals, India and Pakistan, but even the tiny Himalayan kingdom of Nepal is hoping to multiply its defense budget by 10 times.

Last month, the Bush administration notified Congress that it planned to provide a $1.3 billion dollar arms package for Pakistan, including eight P-3C Orion planes to beef up surveillance of its coasts and borders to stop the movement of terrorists and drug smugglers.

It would be the largest U.S. foreign military sale to Pakistan since sanctions against that country were lifted in late 2001 as a reward for supporting U.S. forces fighting the Taliban and al-Qaida forces in neighboring Afghanistan. Besides the Orion surveillance planes, Pakistan is also slated to get 2,000 TOW-2A anti-armor guided missiles and six Phalanx Close-in Weapons Systems for its warships, according to defense officials.

Congress was given 30 days to approve or reject the proposal, but sources on Capitol Hill believe it will be easily adopted despite objections from pro-Indian and anti-proliferation lobbies.

Before, Sept. 11, 2001, the United States had imposed two sets of sanctions on Pakistan. The first were nuclear-related and were imposed in 1990, when President Bush Sr. failed to certify that Pakistan did not have a weapons-grade nuclear program. The sanctions were further tightened after May 1998, when both India and Pakistan tested their nuclear devices. More sanctions were imposed in October 1999, when Gen. Pervez Musharraf staged a bloodless military coup, toppling a popularly elected government.

Soon after the sanctions were lifted, the U.S. Congress authorized for Pakistan the delivery of Cobra attack helicopters, while Pakistan also obtained American surveillance equipment and a global positioning system.

Pakistan is now seeking to buy 40 to 50 F-16 fighter jets, whose agreed transfer was suspended in 1990 due to Islamabad's development of nuclear weapons.

This year's U.S. budget also contains $400 million for training and equipping the new Afghan national army, a $350-million increase of the past year.

Nepal, which received only $1.3 million in foreign military financing from the United States between 1990 and 2001, is also hoping for a substantial increase in U.S. military assistance. After the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States, the Bush administration has increased military assistance to Nepal by more than 10 times.

But none of these countries go anywhere near India when it comes to defense purchases. Traditionally, India bought most of its weapons from the former Soviet Union and later Russia. But it also has been purchasing arms from Western Europe and Israel. And recently, the United States also has entered the Indian market with the Pentagon offering to sell a big package of sophisticated weapons to New Delhi to balance a similar sale to Pakistan.

Although new in the market, the United States is warmly welcomed in New Delhi as a key potential ally and the largest source of sophisticated weapons in the world.

The United States has already offered to sell the P-3-plus version of the Orion naval reconnaissance aircraft to India, diplomatic sources told Dawn, an English language Pakistani newspaper. The P-3-plus is equipped with the latest avionics and equipment systems and -- according to some defense experts -- is way ahead of an earlier version of the P-3 aircraft the United States is offering to Pakistan.

The United States has also offered Perry class frigates and Sea Hawk helicopters to India. India's special operations forces are seeking to purchase chemical and biological protection equipment from Washington as well.

But the most significant is the U.S. offer to sell Patriot missiles to India. Policy makers in New Delhi believe that if the Patriot deal goes through, comparing Indian military acquisition from the United States with Pakistan's will be redundant. The Patriots will drastically improve India's military capability, giving it a huge strategic advantage over both China and Pakistan.

But despite this new warmth in its relations with the United States, India is also acquiring weapons from its traditional source, Russia. President Vladimir Putin hopes to sign a $2 billion arms deal for selling nuclear submarines and aircraft to India when he visits New Delhi Dec. 3-5.

India is hoping to acquire two decommissioned Project 971 Shchuka nuclear submarines from Russia on a 10-year lease. India may also purchase two Project 877 Varshavyanka diesel submarines and three or four Tu-22M3 medium-range bombers.

The re-fitting of one Shchuka submarine is 70 percent complete and the other is 30-40 percent complete. The refitting will cost India at least $400 million, while the leasing fees will be around $25 million a year.

The Shchuka submarines will probably be equipped with Bramos anti-ship missiles developed by Russia and India. These missiles can also be installed on Tu-22M3 bombers. This will give the Indian Navy an edge over both China and Pakistan.

India also intends to buy three more Project 1135.6 frigates and an Amur type submarine from Russia. Negotiations for this estimated $900 million deal may start soon after Putin's visit.