A day after its powerful army expressed "serious concern" over some of the provisions in the US economic aid bill, the Pakistan government said on Thursday that the legislation is "not an ideal document" and that it is not binding on it to accept clauses laid in it.
The Kerry Lugar bill that would give a whooping US $ 7.5 billion non-military aid to Pakistan, which US President Barack Obama last week termed as a "down payment" and "investment" into America's future, would be introduced in the US Senate on Thursday.
President Barack Obama on Thursday signed into law the Kerry-Lugar Bill that will provide $7.5 billion aid to Pakistan in the next five years, a day after the Congress assured Islamabad that the legislation does not seek to compromise its sovereignty and national interests.
Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi is set to embark on his second visit to the US in less than a week to convey Pakistan's concerns on conditions linked to US $ 7.5 billion in aid to be provided to it over under the aegis of the Kerry-Lugar Bill a period of five years under a bill passed by American Congress.
Senator Lugar's statement on N-deal bill
US President Barack Obama is expected to sign into law on Wednesday, the Kerry-Lugar bill for US $ 7.5 billion aid to Pakistan after two powerful Congressional committees issue an "explanatory statement" addressing concerns of its opponents, mainly the Pakistan Army.
Notwithstanding concerns raised by the Pakistan government and its powerful military, the United States on Tuesday defended the $7.5 billion aid bill, saying there is nothing in the legislation, which impinges on the sovereignty of Pakistan.
The ranking Republican on the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee, Senator Richard Lugar, has bemoaned the fact that more than three years after the historic US-India civilian nuclear deal was signed, it still remains in limbo sans any implementation.
Amid strained ties with Pakistan, the United States has disbursed USD 2.2 billion (Rs 11,440 cr) civilian aid to Islamabad in the past two years under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill, the State department has said.
The India-United States relationship has still not reached its full potential, though the two countries have developed steadily closer ties built on a uniquely strong foundation, according to powerful Senator Richard Lugar, a key supporter of the civil nuclear deal between the two sides. "The remarkable deepening of US-India ties over the past decade is only a start, as the relationship has still not reached its full potential," Lugar, ranking Republican.
Pakistan's close ties with China and its lack of democracy and disregard for human rights will not be overlooked, said Haqqani, who currently is a Senior Fellow at the Hudson Institute think-tank in Washington.
Egged on by more than 160 venture capitalists, including several Indian Americans -- the majority of whom are from California's Silicon Valley -- United States Senators John F Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat, and Richard Lugar, Indiana Republican, have introduced legislation to create jobs in America and increasing America's global competitiveness by helping immigrant entrepreneurs obtain US visas.
Egged on by more than 160 venture capitalists, including several Indian Americans, US Senators John F Kerry, Massachusetts Democrat and Richard Lugar, Indiana Republican, have introduced a legislation to create jobs in America and increasing America's global competitiveness by helping immigrant entrepreneurs obtain visas to the United States.
United States President Barack Obama will "shortly sign" the Kerry-Lugar Bill on civilian and military aid to Islamabad to which Pakistani Army and its opposition parties have expressed reservations.
The United States has approved $2.376 billion as aid for Pakistan.The US government has also tabled an aid bill of $2.282 billion in the Congress for Pakistan for the financial year 2009-2010.The bill placed in the American Congress includes both military and humanitarian assistance.The Kerry Lugar bill is likely to be approved by the American Senate by the end of September.
The bill, known as the Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act, also known as the Kerry-Lugar bill calls for the tripling of US aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion annually over five years (fiscal years 2009-2013) "as a long-term pledge to the people of Pakistan."
Nancy Powell, being the quintessential diplomat, and attempting to be as circumspect as possible, replied, "Iran and India have a long tradition of trade across energy and other fields. It is one that is clearly a part of our sanctions regime, that we are hoping to see it significantly reduced."
A top American Senator has warned Pakistan that the US would have no other option but to resort to "self-help" if Islamabad does not become more cooperative in the war against terrorism.
Just back from a trip to Pakistan, United States Senator John Kerry says the Obama administration expected more from that country to root out terrorist groups holed up there, observing a "fullness of measure of effort" is now required.
With Pakistan seeking more international aid following the devastating floods, the Obama Administration and key Congressional leaders are now considering allocating more money under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman Bill that allocated US $ 7.5 billion to Islamabad.
Pushed on the back foot by the powerful military's criticism of some of the provisions in the US economic aid bill, Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani said on Tuesday that the clauses of the Kerry-Lugar legislation are not binding on Pakistan.
Concerned over reports regarding the misuse of aid being provided to Pakistan, the United States is planning to set up a separate office for auditors in the country to keep a tab on the financial assistance programmes under the Kerry-Lugar bill and the Coalition Support Fund.
The New York Times report that Pakistan illegally modified the Harpoon anti-ship missile provided by the United States apparently to bolster its conventional weaponry against India, has embarrassed the Obama administration and Senators John F Kerry and Richard Lugarjust as Washington is poised to provide Islamabad with a massive economic and military largesse of $ 7.5 billion over five years
A US state department report has warned that the financial assistance to Pakistan would be suspended if the funds were misused or misdirected.
The Kerry-Lugar bill, which triples United States' aid to Islamabad, seems to have ignored New Delhi's concern about use of Pakistani soil for terror attacks in India, even as it requires presidential certification that the Pakistan army is making "concerted efforts" against Taliban.
Pakistan's ambassador to the United States Hussain Haqqani's days in office may well be numbered, as experts believe that the powerful military is hell-bent upon his removal, which may ultimately be targeted at the downfall of the civilian government, which is already under severe threat.While Haqqani has rebuked reports about his removal, which seemed evident primarily due to his questionable involvement in the adaptation of some the harsh conditions in the Kerry Lugar Bill.
The massive $7.5 billion aid legislation to Pakistan, authored by United States Senate Foreign Relations Committee chairman John F Kerry and Republican Richard Lugar, would be approved without any difficulty in the coming weeks. The massive aid to Pakistan will be approved in spite of the serious doubts raised by some members of the committee, including a senior Democrat and a few Republicans, they said.
Amid concerns by certain quarters in Pakistan over the "strings" attached to US aid, a key Congressional bill that triples American financial support to Islamabad to USD 7.5 billion (nearly Rs 349 billion) in next five years has been challenged in the Pakistan Supreme Court.
Congressman Gary Ackerman, New York Democrat, and a senior member of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, who last week slammed the Congressional passage of the massive economic and military largesse to Pakistan to the tune of $1.5 billion annually over five years, as the House dutifully fell in line with the Kerry-Lugar bill passed by the Senate last week tripling the aid to Islamabad, has denounced the Pakistani military's hostility to this aid because it contains some cond
The United States today tried to remove concerns over conditions attached to its economic aid to Pakistan, stating that the Kerry-Lugar Bill has in built monitoring mechanism but does not impinge on Pakistan's sovereignty. The statement comes in the wake of uproar in Pakistan including its Army and the opposition parties who are opposing conditions imposed on Pakistan in lieu of the military aid, which is linked to its progress on action against terrorism.
A key United States Senator and architect of the Congressional bill, which doles out $ 7.5 billion to Pakistan in the next five years, said that 'no conditions' have been imposed on Islamabad in lieu of the non-military aid.
United States lawmakers were forced to attach strict conditions in the Kerry Lugar aid bill over fears that Pakistan was not doing enough in the fight against terrorism and nuclear proliferation.
"We have been very clear with the Indians, should India test, as it has agreed not to do, or should India in any way violate the IAEA safeguards agreements to which it would be adhering, the deal, from our point of view, would, at that point, be off," Burns pointed out.
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