US House drops A.Q. Khan, India clauses from aid bill

[HAIDER]

WASHINGTON: The US House of Representatives has dropped an explicit demand for access to Dr A.Q. Khan and another for preventing terrorist attacks against India as conditions in a legislation that triples US aid to Pakistan.

In Washington’s diplomatic circles, the gesture is seen as a major concession from a house that has placed other severe conditions in the aid to Pakistan act approved on Thursday.

In April, when the two conditions were first reported in the media, Pakistan took a strong stance and said it felt ‘humiliated’ by the language of the bill implicating the country in nuclear proliferation and cross-border terrorism.

Pakistan was particularly sensitive about the clause that required it to improve relations with India as a pre-condition for US assistance, pointing out that it amounted to micromanaging a sovereign nation’s foreign policy.

The Obama administration backed Islamabad on this issue and succeeded in removing the two conditions from the bill.

But pro-Indian lawmakers tried to revive the conditions on Thursday when the House finally approved the legislation. Congressman Gary Ackerman — one of the most outspoken supporters of India in the US Congress — tried also to restrict Pakistan from using the US aid to buy jets and other weapons to confront India.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee, however, had already reworked the language to say that Islamabad would have to provide ‘access to Pakistani nationals’ connected to proliferation networks and omitted the part that named Dr Khan.

The reworked bill also required Pakistan to ‘cease support, including by any elements within the Pakistan military or its intelligence agency, to extremist and terrorist groups’ and ‘preventing cross-border attacks into neighbouring countries’ as a condition for US security assistance.

The omission of Dr Khan and India from the bill does save the Pakistani government from total humiliation but the bill passed by the house would still hold Pakistan accountable on these two specific demands.
DAWN.COM | World | US House drops A.Q. Khan, India from aid bill

 

[Neo]

Hmm...quite a pragmatic approach US is adapting.
I like it!

 

[IceCold]

I think the much change in the US policy is after we succeeded in Swat and plus the Zardari's pro Indian stance. However what remains to be seen as mentioned in the article how much of Pakistan will really be held accountable for the above mentioned two conditions and what are going to be the impacts on the future Pak-US relations.

 

[spsk]

There is no change in US Policy,US is a proven friend to you always, From our Stock Exchange Bombing to Mumbai attacks ! May be few Pakistanis could not understand and blame USA and call India as US ally

 

[Ghareeb_Da_Baal]

There is no change in US Policy,US is a proven friend to you always, From our Stock Exchange Bombing to Mumbai attacks ! May be few Pakistanis could not understand and blame USA and call India as US ally

marey bhai.............yeh kisy kai dost naheen.

 

[nwmalik]

good luck with your proven friend.

 

[nwmalik]

There is no change in US Policy,US is a proven friend to you always, From our Stock Exchange Bombing to Mumbai attacks ! May be few Pakistanis could not understand and blame USA and call India as US ally

good luck with your proven friend

 

[dabong1]

There is no change in US Policy,US is a proven friend to you always, From our Stock Exchange Bombing to Mumbai attacks ! May be few Pakistanis could not understand and blame USA and call India as US ally

Cant wait for you indians to find out how really good friends the americans really are when you need them.

 

[araz]

Dear All.
It is not the question of whether Americans are Indians or pakistan's best friends. The thread is about dropping of fairly specific conditions on pakistan and needs to be discussed as such.
it is fairly clear that the response from the govtt of Pakistan was a unanimous and vehement NO to aid in case of imposition of such strict and unmanagable conditions. The Zardari Govtt has also learnt the international game fairly quickly and Mohtarma's sacrifice has had limited value in saving them from public rebuke(CJP issue is a mute point). AQKhan matter is a matter of national security. Whatever was done has been undone and US needs to have faith in us on this account.
The India specific conditons were also unacceptable to us as long as kashmir issue stands unresolved. the speech of the American envoy reported yesterday is a valid representation and accepotance of pakistan's position on this account. In the long term it will suit both India and pakistan to sort their differences out and work for the mutual betterement of the people of their lands. Resolution of Kashmir will be a major step in this direction.
Being a responsible state pakistan has to agree not to sponsor aggression in any other country, and aid related to that is just an indication of how bad our reputation is or how badly our PR campaign/Foreign ministry has let us down.
It is a fact of life that beggers cannot be choosers. India's financial condition is enviable compared to pakistan,s current financial predicament. unless we can restore peace in our country, there will be no progress. There are a lot of internal bugbears that we need to sort out and just blaming outsiders for our own deficiencies is not going to help.
WaSalam
Araz

 

[rubyjackass]

There is no way that US could have retained those terms. It was clear from the beginning.
AQ Khan was included to make the world happy, 'India' to make India happy. It was their intention to do this from the start. The original bill means nothing, just to keep the reasonable people happy.

 

[asq]

Araz. good point, we should and are masters of our fate, only we need to know it.

Rubyjackass, what a name u have man, I could never think of it as a name for myself. anyway, your point to keep reasonable people happy is sort of not reasonable as there are no reasonable people, only reason able interests.

 

[rubyjackass]

Araz. good point, we should and are masters of our fate, only we need to know it.

Rubyjackass, what a name u have man, I could never think of it as a name for myself. anyway, your point to keep reasonable people happy is sort of not reasonable as there are no reasonable people, only reason able interests.

well whatever...
By reasonable people I meant those wary against proliferation.

 

[jeypore]

Dear All.

The India specific conditons were also unacceptable to us as long as kashmir issue stands unresolved. the speech of the American envoy reported yesterday is a valid representation and accepotance of pakistan's position on this account. In the long term it will suit both India and pakistan to sort their differences out and work for the mutual betterement of the people of their lands. Resolution of Kashmir will be a major step in this direction.
WaSalam
Araz

This is what I call fuzzy speach. The bill clearly points in the direction of cross border terrorism, not Kashmir.

The reworked bill also required Pakistan to ‘cease support, including by any elements within the Pakistan military or its intelligence agency, to extremist and terrorist groups’ and ‘preventing cross-border attacks into neighbouring countries’ as a condition for US security assistance

US has removed key part for India out of the bill, but it is going to look very closely of Pakistan actions.

The omission of Dr Khan and India from the bill does save the Pakistani government from total humiliation but the bill passed by the house would still hold Pakistan accountable on these two specific demands.

No matter, whom is friends with the US, but what does matter is a conditions given for the terrorist to florish is evil and counterproductive, period. Pakistan establisment can give a blind eye regarding focused driven terrorist (freedom fighters), but the justification of it's existance lies blame with the Pakistan establishment, may it be GoP, army, or ISI.

 

[spsk]

Resolution of Kashmir will be a major step in this direction.

USA cannot do much in Kashmir , India has been building good relationship with Russia to help any kind of move against India in UN, Russia is the only reason stopping US from moving against India , Even if they try anything on Kashmir this would end up like another Palestine and India - Pakistan has to fight for ever.

 

[asq]

well whatever...
By reasonable people I meant those wary against proliferation.

why should the Pakistani atomic system be under MICROSCOPE and not the systems of others, Those who wish harm to Pakistan are granted all kinds of unfair advantages, be those in the form of treaties and or supplies.

Favoritism to one and restrictions on others is not a way to convince people specially those restricted that all is O.K.

Let us all make a pledge to rid this world of all these weapons by solving the world's problems once and for all by mutual agreed rules and solutions to all the existing problems by DEMOCRATIC ways.

Let the debate begin in U.N. and let the chips fall where they may.