US military aid to Pakistan and double talk

[fatman17]

US military aid to Pakistan and double talk

Abdul Zahoor Khan Marwat

Thursday, June 02, 2011


The US aid to Pakistan is shrouded in myth and great mystery with the actual picture hidden in blurred public statements and imprecise figures.

The Congressional Research Service (CRS), the public policy research arm of the US Congress, has claimed that since FY2002-FY2010, “direct overt US aid and military reimbursements to Pakistan have amounted to $20.6 billion.”

The agency insists that security related aid disbursed to Pakistan was $14.2 billion (including $8.8 billion under the CSF) and economy related $6.4 billion. There has been criticism in the US that Pakistan’s increase in US military aid in the three years after 9/11 was a stunning 50,000 percent, growing from just $9 million in the three years before the attacks to nearly $4.7 billion in the three years after the incident.

In the process, Pakistan became the top third recipient of US assistance and military training. However, the Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) has revealed that only $6.9 billion of the Coalition Support Funding has been received. The ISPR figures are certainly more to the point.

The US Coalition Support Funds reimburse military expenditures incurred by 27 coalition partners, chiefly Pakistan, in direct support of American military operations.

However, the funds are continuously delayed or held back because of obscure accounting reasons.The verification sought from Pakistan with regard to the CSF takes lots of time and even after that a large portion of the funds are not paid and deferred.

In May 2010, the CSF outstanding payments with regard to Pakistan stood at a stunning $2 billion. The Democratic-controlled Congress has already imposed restrictions on the CSF payments to Pakistan. It has adopted implementing the 9/11 Commission Recommendations Act of 2007, whose section 1442 identifies areas of concern for US policy, including the need for Pakistan to curb the proliferation of nuclear technology, to address the presence of the Taliban and other extremist forces and to secure its borders to prevent movement of terrorists. The bill has imposed limits on foreign assistance to Pakistan, declaring that US assistance may not be approved until “the President determines and certifies to the appropriate congressional committees that the government of Pakistan is making all possible efforts to prevent the Taliban from operating in areas under its sovereign control.”

In addition, Pakistan would be required to demonstrate that it is making significant steps towards “free and fair parliamentary elections in 2007.” The bill also requires that the president submits a report to Congress describing the long-term strategy of US engagement with Pakistan.

On the other hand, there are certain questions with regard to the US aid. For example, it is understood that some of the military aid given to Pakistan was obsolete equipment or equipment that was not required in the war on terror but was still sent to the country.

At the same time, there are many strings attached to the US aid. Pakistan has known about the US unreliability and faced blocking of aid several times since the 1950s. According to Stephen Cohen, it is precisely for this reason that India recently dropped US fighter aircraft and went for the Eurofighter.

Moreover, some sections in the US government have been threatening to stop altogether the US aid to Pakistan. Pakistan has been pleading with Washington to release the CSF payments, which would do away the pressure on its budget and allow it to participate in the GWOT effectively. It is time the US stopped the double talk and lifted the strings on aid to Pakistan and treated Pakistan as a reliable partner in the Global War on Terror.

 

[fatman17]

US bill allocates $1.1 bn to Pak for counter-insurgency ops


WASHINGTON: A sum of $1.1 billion has been allocated to Pakistan for counter-insurgency operations under the draft US defence spending bill , which also threatens to withhold three-fourth of this amount till Pentagon provides a report to Congress on the strategy and metrics for its use.

The draft of the 2012 Defence Appropriations Bill, released by a House of Representatives Committee yesterday, also allocates USD 13 billion in funding for training and equipping of Afghan Security forces.

The bill includes language to withhold 75 per cent of the USD 1.1 billion Counter-insurgency Capability Funds for Pakistan until the Secretary of Defence provides a report to Congress on a strategy and metrics for the use of these funds, according to a press statement issued by the House Appropriations Committee.

Such a conditional measure has been included in the defence appropriations bill in the wake of killing of Osama bin Laden by US forces near Islamabad, which has intensified efforts by several US lawmakers to demand condition-based aid to Pakistan.

According to the draft of the Appropriations Bill, the Secretary of Defense also needs to provide to the Congress a listing of the terrorist or extremist groups in Pakistan opposing US goals in the region and against which the US encourages Pakistan to take action, and discussions on gaps in capabilities of Pakistani security units that hamper its ability to take action against these outfits.

Good Luck to Pakistan!!!

 

[cfa2010]

good luck to you!

 

[American Eagle]

Some of the information you present is incorrect.

One example: The Indian Air Force is newly purchasing 10 C-17 airlift/cargo/paratrooper use aircraft from the United States.

The USA in recent years is largely, almost entirely, paying the PA payroll, and any Pakistani other military branches of service, who are defined as fighting as our NATO ally against the Taliban inside Pakistan in the ongoing War on Terrorism.

Perhaps this is a good place and time to note that the War on Terror has in effect replaced the Cold War to explain why and how it continues to be needed and necessary. Long term security needs in the SW Asia region are not going away. The approach of some who send in PA forces then fairly soon declare the battle won and withdraw is about as effective as you or me sticking our finger in a glass of water to make the level rise inside the glass then taking our finger out of the glass of water and claiming we have "raised" the level of the water inside the glass as if that raised level still existed.

 

[Aamir Hussain]

AE:

What should be done -- that is in your opinion? If and when voicing your opinion, please keep in mind that this war on terror has crippled our country and by one estimate we have lost over US$ 40 billion in trade, tourism, infrastructure since 9/11. Not counting the wear and tear of our equipment, thousand of soldiers and civillians killed (five times the size of WTC casualties).

On top of this, the timing of Natural disasters (An earthquake, once in 100 year flood) has not helped our cause. Any third world country in normal times would have gone back atleast ten years.

It would be interesting to debate this based upon the ground reality, neccessity, and actual results.

 

[Avatar]

AE:

What should be done -- that is in your opinion? If and when voicing your opinion, please keep in mind that this war on terror has crippled our country and by one estimate we have lost over US$ 40 billion in trade, tourism, infrastructure since 9/11. Not counting the wear and tear of our equipment, thousand of soldiers and civillians killed (five times the size of WTC casualties).

On top of this, the timing of Natural disasters (An earthquake, once in 100 year flood) has not helped our cause. Any third world country in normal times would have gone back atleast ten years.

It would be interesting to debate this based upon the ground reality, neccessity, and actual results.

Although this is none of my business, can I please have the breakdown of the supposed 40 Billion $ opportunity cost ?

Secondly, do you sincerely feel that your Army, ISI and Government really want this war to end, consider Afghan Taliban their enemy and have been diligently fighting them with all means necessary and had no intelligence about Osama living right next to the military base for more than a thousand days ?

 

[Aamir Hussain]

I am not here to debate what our Army or ISI want. What I am interested is to find out what needs to be done in concrete terms in the eyes of the US and as a logical consequence by US as well, keeping the ground realities in focus. Please do not convert it into a flame post.

As far as the US$ 40 billion, that amount is spread over a period starting from 2001 last quarter to first quarter this year. This amount covers loss of , after 2007, wrap of businesses, flight of capital, loss of tourism both foreign and domestic, losses to infrastructure, atleast US$ 2 billion in direct expenditure for War on terror, not counting the wear and tear of vehicles/a/c etc. Loss of life etc. These are GoP figures and can be debated upon but you will agree with me that this war has taken a toll -- things on the ground are not on Business as usual terms.

Furthermore, we have been telling US from the times of Mush that it is counter prouctive to go after the Talibans (Al-Qaeda is fair game and Paksitan has a track record -- incident of OBL can not just wipe out the basic fact that we have captured and handed over Al-Qaeda operative to US in hundrfeds)-- it would be far advisable to get them into the main stream and make them a part of GoA. Finally, US has started to see the light and are now actively talking to them. The same Taliban that you label as "Friends" of Pakistan.

It is very easy to put the blame on us for all worlds' evil but tackling an insurgency backed up by God knows who and what takes time as you would very well know and can identify with -- your average insurgency took 30 years to quell down.

 

[American Eagle]

And due to their in place proximity much of Pakistan's flood relief help came for the US military.

Pakistan since Mr. Bhutto's era and then General Huk has sunk to a new low of religious fanaticism which is what brought you the Taliban and al Qaida.

How is the recovery going at the Pakistani Navy and PAF bases in Karachi now, since I note that is where you are?

Do you live and/or work in the vicinity of P.E.C.H.S., which is where our USMAAG staff houses were in the early to mid-1960s...or are you in the vicinity of the old US Embassy, now the US Consulate toward the beach?

Have a good weekend...it is unusally hot for this time of year for us here in North Alabama.

 

[American Eagle]

The current GOP, President Zardair and PM Galiani, both say the radical violent version of the Taliban cannot ever be accommodated but must be defeated. I concur from across the pond. Once the twig is bent and earning a living via violence in the name of religion, funded now largely through armed robberies, the best course is to flatly knock them out.

Installing law and order together with equitable fairness in NW Pakistan has been the challenge since partition in 1947. Only because it fits as foolish propaganda with the angry general public in Pakistan does the GOP after 60 years of indifference suddenly find "all lands" within the dotted line borders including on the Durand line to be "soverign" Paksitani territory. The Pashuns largely ignore the Durand Line and a Pashtun Taliban and a Paksitani Taliban are one in the same, same bloodline families. As if you didn't know that.

Peace at any price didn't work with Hitler; it didn't work with Communism; and it will not, proven over and over, work with radical Islamic terrorists.

The WOT is today's Cold War and will last generations to come, no matter what your or I say or think. It is ingrained in a deep seated radical hateful misapplication of Islam.

 

[MastanKhan]

AE,

Steven Hunter is a fine fine author of works of fiction---one of his characters is Bob Swagger----who has an old attorney as his friend---.

The attorney is asking a question-----' if you have a choice between LAW or ORDER, what would you chose '----that is where pakistan and pakistanis are lost. They cannot understand and comprehend what it is all about.

Pakistanis have no clue when a judge makes a decision--what does it do to the state---what kind of precedence it would set----when the govt takes no action----what standards it is setting for the public to follow---when the judge releases a criminal---what kind of message is being sent out to others.

If you look at all the discussion on this board---my brethren have no clue what it even means---. Their only concern is that when it happens---it does not burn their skin----as long as they are safe and well----nothing much matters---. What of the nation and future--it is no big deal---iI would have made enough money to emigrate to somewhere else when things became from bad to worse.

 

[Aamir Hussain]

AE:

Good to know that you know your way around Karachi and it is good to know that you are from Alabama -- I have good number of friends from Mobile and around Fort Rucker. I have fond memories of my time there back in th late eighties. I know it gets hot, damn hot in Alabama, I spent a summer at Fort Rucker.

Things are getting back to normal if you can call it that around PNS Mehran -- they restarted routine flying form the base and PN is going thorugh a serious security re-check of its cadre. The old counselate is now increasingly being used by US Aid personnel and some other outfits while the New American Couselate and the Chancery is busy in increasing perimeter security by buiding new watch towers around the outer perimeter wall. BTW did you know that the Coast Guard Quarters at Garden were buil aroun an old American Bakery (Built to feed American Troops during World War II).

Let us get back to the subject. To me, based upon your comments, it seems, and correct if I am wrong, that you are presuming that I am not for a decisive and final action agianst the terrorist -- i am and almost all the people I come in contact do so as well. If we all agree on this than my question is how do we go about it without impoloding Pakistan in the process, and the region around it in to a more serious conflict and what should be the role of US if we want to get ahead on this agenda. Apparently the currentl policy, both from Paksitnai perspective and th US has failed.

 

[dsalmon]

AH:

"my question is how do we go about it without imploding Pakistan in the process, and the region around it in to a more serious conflict and what should be the role of US if we want to get ahead on this agenda​

."

What would you suggest?

David Salmon

 

[American Eagle]

Unhappily, as was the case with the Cold War, the "enemy" broadly speaking cannot be confined into a one of one battlefield array.

Thus, Like during the Cold War, this is and will continue to be a long, drawn out, tortureous process.

My single arm chair quarterback suggestion on top of all else is a long term Pakistani media campaign, editorially, to teach, coach, and guide the general population to report suspicious activities and to never, ever give aide and comfort to the terrorists, which has been a major part of the problem in FATA, SWAT, N. and S. Waziristan, Balochistan and the NWFP. It only takes a few sympathetic to terrorists tfolks o help them keep on keeping on. Nosey neighbors need to report to multiple security sources, to be sure their reports "Get through." Tell local police, Frontier Corp, Paksitan Genral Assembly and Senate, and write letters or e-mails to the President and PM. You don't know who you can trust to enforce national and local securiity so the shotgun approach suggests maybe "one" report will get acted on...as least one hopes so. Also give anonymous warnings to your local press based of what you observed and suspect that could or can threaten human security and safety, where, addresses, names of people, etc if known.

Have a good rest of the weekend.

AE

 

[Donatello]

The current GOP, President Zardair and PM Galiani, both say the radical violent version of the Taliban cannot ever be accommodated but must be defeated. I concur from across the pond. Once the twig is bent and earning a living via violence in the name of religion, funded now largely through armed robberies, the best course is to flatly knock them out.

Installing law and order together with equitable fairness in NW Pakistan has been the challenge since partition in 1947. Only because it fits as foolish propaganda with the angry general public in Pakistan does the GOP after 60 years of indifference suddenly find "all lands" within the dotted line borders including on the Durand line to be "soverign" Paksitani territory. The Pashuns largely ignore the Durand Line and a Pashtun Taliban and a Paksitani Taliban are one in the same, same bloodline families. As if you didn't know that.

Peace at any price didn't work with Hitler; it didn't work with Communism; and it will not, proven over and over, work with radical Islamic terrorists.

The WOT is today's Cold War and will last generations to come, no matter what your or I say or think. It is ingrained in a deep seated radical hateful misapplication of Islam.

Okay so why were there no Suicide bombings, terror attacks etc before 9/11 in Pakistan?

Why do Pakistanis want the 1990s back...less the sanctions?

Please give a sensible answer....not jihadi this and that.

 

[American Eagle]

Thanks for your question to me. Nothing in life is "static or fixed." Times and events change. During my tour of duty in the USAF in Pakistan as the US Embassy Liaison Officer in Karachi for the US Base at Badabur, nearby Peshawar, violence and separatist as well as early stages of radical Islam terrorism existed. Over time, with the advent of Wahabism out of Saudi Arabia, it has gotten worse.

Terrorism and the war on terrorism is here to stay. You have to deal with that fact and expect it to continue.

When a terrorist heretical brand of Islam murders mainstream peaceful Muslim citizens inside Pakistan it is a stand alone drive if you will to impose radical sharia law, kill democracy, you name it.

Wishing for the past does not address reality now. Violence in the name of religion is nothing new, it is just better communicated about via world media nowadays.