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.
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.
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.
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.
During his brief visit to Pakistan, Kerry was asked to clarify the wording with regard to caveats associated with spending the KLB money on Pakistan's nuclear programme.
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.
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."
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
A US state department report has warned that the financial assistance to Pakistan would be suspended if the funds were misused or misdirected.
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.
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.
"I don't believe Indian lobby has any influence on the bill," said Robert Hathaway, Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Centre. Speaking during a dialogue arranged by the Sustainable Development Policy Institute, Hathaway said media reports regarding New Delhi's participation in the formulation of the legislation were 'false'.
Banned Jamaat-ud-Dawa chief Hafiz Mohd Saeed has joined the debate over conditions attached to US aid to be provided to Pakistan, charging that clauses asking the country to take action against militant groups had been included due to "Indian pressure".
Though the Indian caucus in the Obama administration is concerned over the recent reports concerning Pakistan's funds being used against India, it may be unable to bring any changes in the Kerry-Lugar bill that has assured Pakistan of USD 1.5 billion on an annual basis for five years.
US Secretary of State John Kerry has not issued any certificate to the Congress on the progress made by Pakistan in taking action against terrorist groups, his spokesperson has said.
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.
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.
Robin Raphel, a former US diplomat now under a counter intelligence investigation, has spent much of her professional life dealing with Pakistan and defending it against criticism as she doled out billions in aid to the "frenemy".
Pakistan's hawkish Army chief Gen Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, who did little to change the force's India-centric stance, will leave the world's sixth-largest army grappling with a host of security challenges when he steps down on Friday.
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.
The US is committed to not allowing either Pakistan or Afghanistan to become a safe haven for terrorists from where they can attack the US and its allies, said the senior Trump administration official.
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
The legislation, the National Defense Authorisation Act-2019, gets rid of the certification requirements for Pakistan's action against the Haqqani Network and it also gets rid of the authority to reimburse Pakistan for counter-terrorism.
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.
'Part of the problem lies in the US failure to stay focused on the goal of convincing Pakistan to crack down on terrorists that attack India.'
Puneet Talwar, one of the most respected Middle East policy specialists in administration and Congressional circles, has been nominated by United States President Barack Obama to a senior State Department position.
New book claims Amar Singh gave between 20 and 100 per cent of his entire net worth to the Clinton Foundation.
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