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.
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.
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.
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 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.
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 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.
"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.
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."
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.
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