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                        <title>The Express Tribune</title>
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                        <description>The Express Tribune keeps you up to date with all the latest happenings from Pakistan and across the world!</description>
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			<title>Official reaction: Gilani ‘concerned’ over US aid cuts</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/209549/official-reaction-gilani-%e2%80%98concerned%e2%80%99-over-us-aid-cuts</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/209549/official-reaction-gilani-%e2%80%98concerned%e2%80%99-over-us-aid-cuts#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 14 Jul 11 03:57:58 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Gilani expressed ‘extreme concern over the recent statements of American officials on suspension of military aid.’]]>
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				<![CDATA[In a first official reaction to US aid cuts, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani expressed ‘extreme concern over the recent statements of American officials on suspension of military aid.’


Addressing a news conference at the chief minister secretariat here on Wednesday, Gilani said that Pakistan is “in the middle of the war against terrorism.”

“We are fighting for the whole world and they benefit from [our contribution],” he said. “Though we are not officially informed, it is a matter of concern for us.”

On the endgame in Afghanistan, the premier said that Pakistan supports reconciliation in Afghanistan but wants to be included in the process.

“Pakistan must be included in evolving any Afghan-based strategy so that Pakistan is not destabilised from such policy, he said.

“We do not want that decisions which were taken thirty years ago be repeated again. Because of those decisions 3.5 million people are still living at refugee camps,” he added.

“The chief executive of Afghanistan and Pakistan, foreign ministers, army chief and heads of intelligence agencies must be present so the issues could be settled officially,” he added.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Going it alone</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/208761/going-it-alone</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/208761/going-it-alone#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jul 11 16:42:12 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=208761</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The terrorists are not going to come and kiss our hand because we have kicked the Americans out.]]>
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				<![CDATA[After a corps commanders’ meeting on July 12, the Pakistan Army has reiterated its resolve to get rid of American trainers, scale back CIA activities in Pakistan and fight the war against terrorism from its own resources. This means that counterterrorism by Pakistan will be mounted without much training and, from now on, without much money from outside. This also means that the army will raise its own funds in addition to the money it gets from the national budget. That the army has its own source of income is well known, but the industries it is running will hardly give it enough financial ballast to keep flying.

The army had made the nation aware of its resolve to get rid of the Americans some time ago when a statement had said that the money given by the US to the Pakistan Army should be diverted to the civilian government. This statement could not have been an act of anger because when talking about strategy you don’t give in to extreme feelings. This moment is the time to think that if changing of friends is in the offing, who will be our future friends and how will one cope with old friends-turned-enemies? Of course, this transition is not all black and white and the visit of our ISI chief to Washington could be an attempt to resist populism at home and eschew Manichaeism in foreign policy.

How will the Pakistan Army fight terrorism in the days to come without much civilian training in the art of countering ‘the enemy within’? So far, the experience is that the civilian security is a total stranger to asymmetric war unleashed by well-trained al Qaeda terrorists and the jihadi warriors who have joined al Qaeda. Will the Pakistan Army maintain its old strategic posture in the region while switching from the US, or will it reconsider its now patently unsuccessful attempts at suiting the new situation to the old danger ‘from-the-east’ posture? In fact, the posture of yore has two disastrous aspects: Tacking the success in Afghanistan to the Pashtuns and facing eastward toward India by being unrelenting in India-centrism. Will the army change this binary of failure?

Facing up to terrorism without the US will not be easy if the policy towards Afghanistan remains static and lessons from the disaster of Pakistan’s support to a Taliban government in the past are not re-examined. Before facing inwards — how else to fight AlZawahiri, who has vowed to kill our military leaders? — to fight the Taliban, Pakistan will have to jiggle its kneejerk pavlovian reflex towards India. There was good tiding hidden in the speech Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani made recently in Azad Kashmir, with General Kayani standing by him, that was clearly an overture to India and was noted as such by New Delhi. Earlier, the outgoing Indian foreign secretary, Nirupama Rao, had signalled that there could actually be the beginning of a thaw in Pakistan-India relations this year. If we maintain our existing posture with India, we should forget about fighting the terrorists, with their apparent penetration of some sections of the armed forced.

Counterterrorism will also fail if the army’s stance vis-à-vis Afghanistan is not changed. Supporting the Pashtuns in Afghanistan is a double-edged sword which might mean that Pakistan loses yet another chunk of ungoverned space to the rising cross-border Pashtun passion for a separate state because the Pashtuns of Afghanistan can’t stomach the non-Pashtun nationalities of the north. The good sign is that Turkey has been roped in as a supporter of at least one nationality in Afghanistan, led by Rashid Dostum, who also interfaces nicely with Uzbekistan next door. The other neighbour whose interests cannot be ignored is Iran whose diplomats the Taliban killed in Mazar-e-Sharif in 1997 (for which Pakistan was blamed). Central Afghanistan and much of the north is Shia and will fight any Pashtun-led strategy by Pakistan. It is only after the regional reshuffle of strategy that the army can be supported in its policy of ‘going it alone’. One fact we should put in our pipes and smoke is: The terrorists are not going to come and kiss our hand because we have kicked the Americans out.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 14th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>PM Gilani 'concerned' over US aid cuts</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/208744/pm-gilani-concerned-over-us-aid-cuts</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/208744/pm-gilani-concerned-over-us-aid-cuts#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jul 11 14:19:07 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=208744</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Cuts reportedly include about $300m reimbursements for the cost of deploying over 100,000 soldiers along AfPak border.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan on Wednesday voiced concern for the first time over US aid cuts ahead of top intelligence talks looking to repair a relationship damaged by the US killing of Osama bin Laden.

"We have concerns over the recent statements by American officials about aid," Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told reporters in Quetta.

"Though we are not officially informed, it is a matter of concern for us. We are fighting war against terrorism and extremism," he added.

His remarks came after Pakistan's intelligence chief left for US talks on intelligence cooperation, in what analysts said could shore up the strategic alliance against Al-Qaeda after the crisis sparked by Bin Laden's killing.

In a rare move following months of increasing acrimony between Islamabad and Washington, Pakistan said Ahmad Shuja Pasha, head of the Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) agency, flew to the United States for top-level talks.

"He is going there to discuss the intelligence coordination," Pakistani army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.

In Pakistan, US General James Mattis, the commander of American troops from the Middle East to south Asia, was also holding talks, the US embassy said.

Mattis's meetings included one with army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani to "share perspectives on the current relationship between the two militaries and to review the way ahead," it said.

The talks come after the US decided to withhold a third of its annual $2.7 billion security assistance to Islamabad after Pakistan ordered dozens of military trainers out of the country.

The cuts of $800 million reportedly include about $300 million used to reimburse Pakistan for the cost of deploying more than 100,000 soldiers along the Afghan border, a hotbed of Taliban and Al-Qaeda-linked militants.

On Tuesday, Defence Minister Ahmed Mukhtar threatened to pull back troops from the Afghan border in response, a move that would defy American demands to open new fronts in the war on Al-Qaeda and escalate tensions with Washington.

The military, however, stopped short of confirming the threat, promising only to continue to fight against terrorism in the national interest. It has also said that it would fight on with or without US dollars.

One security official has told AFP that Pakistan wants a "contract" with the CIA to formalise intelligence cooperation in the decade-long fight against Al-Qaeda that would safeguard against unilateral American activities.

"The agreement on both sides is there to continue (to cooperate) but having been burnt a few times, we feel it should be formalised. We need a relationship based on equality, trust and respect," the official said.

Pakistan has been adamant that there should be no more unilateral American raids, like that which killed Bin Laden in the army town of Abbottabad, although the White House has reserved the right to act again if necessary.

Analysts on Wednesday interpreted Pasha's visit to Washington as a sign that Pakistan was keen to paper over some of the cracks.

"It is an attempt to defuse the situation and find the possibility of an acceptable arrangement for both sides," analyst Hasan Askari told AFP.

The talks are important, he said, because Pasha is the second most important leader in the military after army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani.

"The visit is designed to see how the two countries can forge better understanding on issues affecting their ties. But the complications cannot be sorted out in just one visit. There will be more rounds of talks in future."

While Washington wants decisive action against terror networks, analysts warned that aid cuts would discourage Pakistan from opening fresh fronts, particularly against those considered American rather than Pakistani enemies.]]>
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			<title>Pak-China relations: China pledges support for Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207980/china-pledges-support-for-pakistan-in-wake-of-military-aid-cut</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207980/china-pledges-support-for-pakistan-in-wake-of-military-aid-cut#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jul 11 04:35:25 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207980</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Foreign ministry spokesman says Pakistan is important for regional stability.]]>
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				<![CDATA[China pledged its support for close ally Pakistan on Tuesday, after the US decision to suspend $800 million worth of aid.


“Pakistan is an important country in South Asia. The stability and development of Pakistan is closely connected with the peace and stability of South Asia,” foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei told reporters.

“China has always provided assistance to Pakistan, helping it improve people’s livelihood and realise the sustainable development of its economy and society. China will continue to do so in the future,” he added.

US President Barack Obama’s Chief of Staff, William Daley, announced in a television interview on Sunday that the US had decided to withhold almost a third of its annual $2.7 billion security assistance to Islamabad.

Former President Pervez Musharraf on Monday said he regrets the US decision to stop $800 million in military aid to Pakistan. Musharraf called the move “disastrous”, telling an audience at Rice University in Houston, Texas that the aid cut-off is not in the best interest of the United States because it will weaken Pakistan’s ability to fight terrorism. Musharraf said that he is saddened by what he sees as the recent “environment of confrontation between Pakistan and the United States,” adding that relations can be improved if the US further takes into concern Pakistani sensitivities and sovereignty.

The move has plunged relations between Islamabad and Washington to a new low.  Tensions between the two countries were already high after US commandos killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in May. The US decision was however welcomed by India. The neighbouring state has long accused Pakistan of providing shelter to militant groups and has pushed the global community and the United States in particular, to censure Islamabad. China on the other hand is one of Pakistan’s closest allies and is also its main arms supplier, a situation that India has also expressed concern about.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2011.

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[poll id="437"]]]>
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			<title>Corps commanders’ meeting: Army shrugs off ‘punitive’ aid cut-off by US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207936/pakistan-fighting-war-on-terror-with-its-own-resources</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207936/pakistan-fighting-war-on-terror-with-its-own-resources#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 13 Jul 11 04:08:53 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207936</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[No U-turn regarding decision to scale back activities of CIA; Gen Wynne says Pakistan will not accept conditional aid.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Pakistan Army has decided not to reverse its decision to expel US military trainers and scale back the activities of the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operatives in the country despite Washington’s punitive move to withhold $800 million worth of assistance.


The decision was taken at a meeting of the corps commanders chaired by Army chief General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani on Tuesday to discuss the fallout of the US step, said a military official. “We are not going to reconsider some of the decisions we have taken with regards to the activities of CIA in Pakistan,” the official said on condition of anonymity.

The security establishment, which was irked by the unilateral US raid that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in May, launched a crackdown against the ‘CIA network’ to limit its activities.

Meanwhile, Chairman Joint Chiefs of Staff General Khalid Shameem Wynne told a top visiting US commander that Pakistan would not accept conditional aid and regretted the lack of acknowledgement by Washington for Pakistan’s “sacrifices in the battle against militancy.”

General James N Mattis, Commander US Central Command (Centcom), was on an announced trip to Pakistan to discuss regional security in the wake of recent developments. However, there was no official word if the top US general met General Kayani.

It is believed that in recent months General Kayani has made deliberate efforts not to publicise his engagements with US officials after being perceived to be too close to the Americans in the wake of the Bin Laden debacle.

A statement issued by the ISPR after the corps commanders meeting appeared to play down the US decision to suspend military assistance. “The forum reiterated the resolve to fight the menace of terrorism in our own national interest using our own resources,” the statement read.

However, it did not reveal if thousands of Pakistani troops would be pulled out from the Pak-Afghan border region if relations with the US deteriorated.

The somewhat mild reaction was attributed to the fact that the military hopes to settle the issue of withholding of aid through dialogue with American authorities, said military sources.

However, sources say, the corps commanders expressed their concern over the US decision, noting that it would not help the anti-terrorism campaign and will also cast a negative impact on the Pak-US bilateral cooperation in the fight against terrorism.

The top brass was also irked by the many strings attached to the US assistance. “No country has done more than Pakistan to eliminate al Qaeda and its affiliate groups,” said a senior military official. “Yet we remain in the eye of the storm, which is unfair.”

The official added that military commanders assert that the US must keep in mind the sacrifices of the Pakistani armed forces before making such harsh decisions.

According to an ISPR spokesman, the army chief appreciated the conduct of the ongoing operations. Referring to Mohmand Agency, he instructed that all efforts must be utilised in coordination with the civil administration for safe repatriation of the IDPs.

He said that the aim of the operation in Kurram Agency was to clear the area of miscreants involved in terrorism, kidnapping, killing of locals and blocking of roads connecting lower and upper Kurram.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 13th, 2011.

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			<title>Suspending military aid: Musharraf laments strained Pak-US ties</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207922/suspending-military-aid-musharraf-laments-strained-pak-us-ties</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207922/suspending-military-aid-musharraf-laments-strained-pak-us-ties#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jul 11 05:23:47 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[express]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207922</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Musharraf believes suspending military aid is not in the best interest of either country.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Former president Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that the White  House's suspension of $800 million in aid to the Pakistan military is  not in the best interest of either country and could hamper anti-terrorism efforts.

“We are weakening the country and the army,” Musharraf said during an address at Rice University’s Baker Institute of Public Policy. “It will have a negative effect certainly on the Pakistan army, on its capability to fight terrorism.”

He said he was saddened by the confrontation between Pakistan and the  US, as well as their armies and intelligence services.

"It saddens me because I remember when there was trust," he said, pointing to what he said were his strong relationships with President George W Bush and then-Secretary of State Colin Powell.

"I could pick up the phone," he said. "The line was always open. I wonder now if that degree of communication exists."

The former president said restoration of better relations depended on  leadership and straightforward talks.

He said this could begin with Islamabad’s "top level" assurances  to Washington that Pakistan was not providing a safe haven to Osama bin Laden.

The former military ruler's tenure as president included the years bin Laden apparently moved to the compound in Abbottabad, home of Pakistan's military academy, where he was killed May 2 by US commandos during a covert raid.

As he has in the past, Musharraf denied he or Pakistan's domestic spy services knew of bin Laden's location, at least during his time in power.

"For two years, I can for sure, with 100 per cent guarantee, whether you believe it or not, I didn't know," he said.]]>
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			<title>Army aid: US lays bare concerns on Pakistan army</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207923/army-aid-us-lays-bare-concerns-on-pakistan-army</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207923/army-aid-us-lays-bare-concerns-on-pakistan-army#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jul 11 05:20:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207923</guid>
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				<![CDATA[&quot;US realized that maybe this isn't just about Pakistanis' capability, maybe there is also a will issue.&quot;: Lisa Curtis.]]>
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				<![CDATA[In suspending aid, the United States is showing it will no longer give the benefit of the doubt to Pakistan's military after a long debate on how to handle the powerful institution.

President Barack Obama's administration took office with a determination to strengthen Pakistan's weak democratic leaders and crafted a civilian aid package accordingly, all the while trying to nurture ties to a suspicious army.

But now the administration has taken a major – and, in some analysts' view, risky – step of deferring $800 million for the army and saying it will not resume full funding without what it sees as progress on fighting insurgents.

"There has been growing estrangement but this represents a real change of gears because up until now the thrust of our relationship has been our militaries working together, whatever else happens," said Marvin Weinbaum, scholar-in-residence at the Middle East Institute.

"This is a high-stakes gamble in a way – that somehow this is going to get the military to wake up to the fact that their long dependence on the United States, for equipment in particular, could end," he said.

Pakistan's military, used to commanding respect at home, was chastened by its failure to detect a top-secret US raid in May that killed the world's most wanted man Osama bin Laden a short distance from the country's top academy.

The Obama administration, if not much of the US general public, was restrained in its public comments after the raid, believing that the United States had little to gain by risking its access to the war partner.

But some US policymakers and analysts were distraught at what they saw as a bellicose reaction from Pakistan since the bin Laden operation, including ordering out up to 200 trainers in the country.

"The US realized that maybe this isn't just about the Pakistanis' capability, maybe there is also a will issue," said Lisa Curtis, a senior research fellow at the conservative Heritage Foundation.

"This is a strong signal that the US is no longer satisfied with Pakistani cooperation and more willing in the aftermath of bin Laden's death to follow through," she said.

Admiral Mike Mullen, the top US military officer, has publicly supported ties with Pakistan's army and has tried to maintain a cordial relationship with his counterpart, General Ashfaq Kayani.

But Mullen voiced alarm last week after concluding that Pakistani intelligence killed journalist Saleem Shahzad, whose body was found last month bearing marks of torture after he wrote of links between rogue elements of the military and Al-Qaeda.

US officials have also voiced concerns about Pakistani official elements' dealings with Afghanistan's Taliban and anti-Indian Islamic militants. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton will visit New Delhi next week.

Much of the deferred aid involved funding for the trainers. The United States planned an annual $2.7 billion to Pakistan in security assistance, meaning that most military aid -- and all civilian aid -- will proceed.

Pakistan's army has so far brushed aside the move, saying that it has resources to fight on its own.

But tensions could soar if Pakistan threatens to close the crossing for war supplies headed into Afghanistan, a step Islamabad took briefly last year which would throw into question the US rationale for the partnership.

Shuja Nawaz, director of the South Asia Center at the Atlantic Council, said that Pakistan has not threatened any drastic steps and that the army's actions were partly driven by hopes of shoring up public support.

For Pakistan, the latest tensions date from before bin Laden's killing to the case of Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor who shot dead two Pakistanis on a street. He was freed after payments to the victims' families.

Nawaz said Pakistan's military knew that a worsening relationship was not in the country's interest as it could spiral downward and hurt other priorities -- such as US support for Pakistan in international financial institutions.

"I think there is a desire to maintain the relationship. There is a question of finding the way to achieving that objective," he said.]]>
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			<title>Tone-deaf: Islamabad pushes for more ‘mega-project’ financing from US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207825/tone-deaf-islamabad-pushes-for-more-%e2%80%98mega-project%e2%80%99-financing-from-us</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207825/tone-deaf-islamabad-pushes-for-more-%e2%80%98mega-project%e2%80%99-financing-from-us#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jul 11 03:32:16 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[Shahbaz Rana]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207825</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Islamabad wants US to begin financing ‘mega projects’ even though dozens of small projects are funded by the US govt.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Even as the United States announced a suspension of military aid to Pakistan, Islamabad is pushing Washington not only to continue its civilian aid programmes, but also to begin financing ‘mega projects’ as opposed to the dozens of small projects that are currently being funded by the US government.


“For early completion of the projects and making better use of the assistance, Washington needs to reconsider its approach and should allocate resources for mega projects,” said a finance ministry official on the condition of anonymity, as he was not authorised to speak to the media.

Government officials believe that many of the US-funded programmes – including some as small as $4 million – are not big enough to have a substantial impact on the Pakistani economy. Currently, the largest programme being financed by the US is $190 million for the Citizen Damages Compensation Programme, known locally as the Watan Cards programme for the 2010 flood victims.

Of the $1.5 billion in annual civilian financial assistance promised each year to Pakistan under the Kerry-Lugar Act passed by the United States Congress, the US government has so far only disbursed about $374 million. It had earlier committed to disbursing at least $718 million by June 30.

The United States Agency for International Development (USAID) has a portfolio of about $2 billion, of which $1 billion is for 32 Kerry-Lugar-funded projects.

The number of projects had initially been 55, but was consolidated downwards during a meeting between Pakistani and US officials in September 2010. Islamabad wants to continue moving that process forward.

The US government has already agreed to provide $500 million for the Diamer Bhasha dam, and the government is negotiating with the US to establish a five-year Pakistan Enterprises Fund to promote private American investment in small and medium-sized Pakistani businesses.

Finance Minister Abdul Hafeez Sheikh has admitted recently that allowing the US to determine which projects it wanted to fund was a mistake.

Yet despite the delays in disbursement and the suspension of $800 million in military aid, Pakistani government officials do not believe that there will be a suspension of civilian aid, at least in the short term. The US legislature has approved funding for Pakistan under the Kerry-Lugar Act for the US fiscal year ending September 30, 2012. A suspension of this funding would require another act of Congress which many officials in Islamabad view as unlikely.

US diplomats in Pakistan appear to echo that sentiment. “There is no change to US development assistance to Pakistan,” said US Embassy spokesperson Courtney Bale, drawing a contrast between civilian and military aid. “Coalition Support Funds are a reimbursement for expenditures in support of overseas contingency operations.”

Military aid is relatively easy to suspend for the US government since it is not appropriated separately from Congress, allowing the Obama administration more flexibility to disburse or suspend payments. However, even civilian assistance is contingent upon the US Secretary of State certifying that Pakistan remains democratic and makes progress in the war on terrorism.

The US government has frequently used the suspension of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) disbursement as a pressure tactic, withholding $600 million for the fiscal year ending June 30, 2011, which pushed up Pakistan’s budget deficit by 0.2 per cent of the total size of the economy.

Pakistan’s total outstanding CSF claims have reached about $3.4 billion, of which the US government has been able to reconcile $1.8 billion, but has not yet disbursed.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Interpreting the fallout: ‘US wanted permanent presence on Pakistan airbases’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207812/interpreting-the-fallout-%e2%80%98us-wanted-permanent-presence-on-pakistan-airbases%e2%80%99</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207812/interpreting-the-fallout-%e2%80%98us-wanted-permanent-presence-on-pakistan-airbases%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jul 11 03:28:57 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207812</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Decision to cut aid is ‘punishment’ for Pakistan's refusal to grant Washington permanent presence on airbases.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The US decision to suspend approximately $800 million in aid to Pakistan is ‘punishment’ for Islamabad’s refusal to accept Washington’s demands seeking a permanent presence of American military personnel in all airbases of the country, according to military and intelligence officials.


The Pakistani military not only rejected the idea but also decided to expel all US military trainers in the country in retaliation for the May 2 raid on Abbottabad that killed al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden.

The move, officials said, annoyed the Obama administration so much that it threatened to take a series of ‘punitive’ measures, including the suspension of aid in an effort to pursue Pakistan to reverse the decision.

Washington had asked Islamabad to agree to certain conditions following the Bin Laden debacle. Among other requests, the US administration was pushing for the right to maintain a permanent presence of its military officials on all airbases in Pakistan, even after the complete withdrawal of US troops from Afghanistan in 2014.

“They (Americans) want us to allow a certain number of uniformed officials on all airbases of the country,” said one security official, who requested not to be named since he was not authorised to speak on the subject.

However, the official would not give the exact number of military personnel the US was seeking to maintain permanently in Pakistan.

“The demand was resisted and rejected as it was too intrusive,” said another official. “The Bin Laden episode has provided us the opportunity to overcome our shortcomings.”

The US government, for its part, confirmed that demands were made, though it did not specify what those demands were.

“When it comes to our military assistance, we’re not prepared to continue providing that at the pace that we were providing it unless and until we see certain steps taken,” said US State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland, defending the US decision to suspend military aid to Pakistan.

Sources said the security establishment had now realised just how freely the United States had been able to operate inside Pakistan before the May 2 incident and was keen on reducing it.

“The CIA has been able to penetrate too deep and there are even fears that it could make inroads into the country’s security establishment if steps are not taken to scale back their activities,” commented a military official.

He confirmed that, in the wake of Abbottabad raid, the security establishment had not only expelled US military trainers but also made efforts to ‘plug loopholes in our visa policy for American visitors.’

“We will not allow the kind of freedom under which the American officials and operatives were operating in the country,” the official said.

The US State Department spokesperson confirmed the new restrictions. She recalled that on May 25, Islamabad demanded that about 100 US advisers leave Pakistani soil, effectively halting military training, adding “we obviously can’t do that in an environment where Pakistan has asked our trainers to go.”

However, Pakistani military officials insisted that the US decision to withhold military aid would not affect the ongoing campaign against militants in what appears to be deliberate attempt to play down the development.

“The army in the past as well as the present has conducted successful military operations using its own resources without any external support whatsoever,” military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.

“It is unfair that the US is even holding back our reimbursements,” said a senior military official, referring to the fact that the United States government has not disbursed money from the Coalition Support Fund. He claimed the US owed Pakistan about $1 billion for services rendered during the previous fiscal year.

Yet despite the tensions, military sources say the two sides are making efforts to over their differences. US officials seem to concur with that view.

Nuland stressed Monday that “the United States continues to seek a constructive, collaborative, mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan.”

India welcomes US aid freeze

India on Monday welcomed the United States’ decision to suspend $800 million worth of military aid to Pakistan.

“It is not desirable that this region had to be heavily armed by the US, which will upset the equilibrium in the region itself,” External Affairs Minister SM Krishna said, according to the Press Trust of India. “To that extent, India welcomes this step,” he said. India has generally accepted US aid for funding anti-terrorism operations in Pakistan, but has expressed concern in the past that the weapons could be turned against it.

“The US must take note of the fact that we are working in a very committed manner to normalise our relations with Pakistan,” Krishna told reporters in New Delhi.  (With additional reporting by AFP)

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Strong response: Pak will pull troops from Afghan border if US cuts aid</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207538/pakistan-threatens-to-withdraw-troops-from-pak-afghan-border</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207538/pakistan-threatens-to-withdraw-troops-from-pak-afghan-border#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Tue, 12 Jul 11 03:24:20 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kirsten.seymour]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207538</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Defence minister hopes US will not repeat Bin Laden ‘mistake’ in the hunt for Zawahiri.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Defence Minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar has said that Pakistani troops will pull back from the Pak-Afghan border in reaction to the suspension of nearly $800 million worth of US military aid.


Speaking exclusively on the “Evening Hour with Kirsten Seymour” show (to be aired today on Express 24/7 at 8 pm), Mukhtar said that Pakistan would pull back troops from the nearly 1,100 check posts set up along the Pak-Afghan border.

The defence minister said that $300 million of this aid specifically goes to troops serving in this troubled region. At the same time, this move will sabotage efforts against the Taliban and al Qaeda in the region.

Mukhtar said “this money (US military aid) is not for fighting the war, but is money that we have spent already.”

Mukhtar said that Pakistan could not afford to keep its military out in the mountains or in the border areas for a long period of time.

“The next step would be that the government or the armed forces will pull back the forces from the border areas,” he said.

There are also fears that the forces are being ambushed by tribal militants from across the border, and, if this continues, there could be cross-border fighting. This is a prospect that Pakistan does not look forward to.

Shamsi Airbase

The defence minister went on to say that the US, by way of the UAE, had been allowed the use of the Shamsi air strip for non-lethal weapons, such as unarmed drones and as a logistics support site.  “The understanding was that the drones would fly from Shamsi base but only for surveillance ... they were not supposed to be lethal and the next thing we knew they were using it for military attacks,” he said.

However, Mukhtar maintained that this was a problem that could be resolved if both the US and Pakistan came to some arrangement.

Raymond Davis

The defence minister also said that the government has asked American military trainers to leave the country because they were seen to be connected with Raymond Davis. He said that the government had asked them to leave for because they broke the rules.

Zawahiri

In his comments on the American assertion that Al Qaeda leader Ayman Al Zawahiri was in the tribal areas, Mukhtar said that he hoped the United States would not repeat the mistakes it made in the raid to capture Osama Bin Laden. This time round, he said, we hope the Americans will work with the Pakistanis and share their intelligence. This falls in line with the request by the Director-General Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR) to share information with Pakistan.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Pakistan defiant as US halts $800 million military aid</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207874/pakistan-defiant-as-us-halts-800-million-military-aid</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207874/pakistan-defiant-as-us-halts-800-million-military-aid#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 11 23:07:25 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207874</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Suspended aid includes $300 million to reimburse costs of deploying more than 100,000 soldiers along the Afghan border]]>
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				<![CDATA[ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani military on Monday insisted it was capable of fighting Islamic militants without US assistance, hitting back after Washington said it would suspend $800 million worth of security aid.

"The army in the past as well as at present has conducted successful military operations using its own resources without any external support whatsoever," military spokesman Major General Athar Abbas told AFP.

US President Barack Obama's chief of staff, William Daley, confirmed in a television interview on Sunday that the United States has decided to withhold almost a third of its annual $2.7 billion security assistance to Islamabad.

Abbas, however, said the military had not been officially informed of the decision to suspend aid.

Relations between the key allies in the war on Al-Qaeda drastically worsened after US commandos killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan on May 2, humiliating the Pakistani military and opening it to allegations of complicity or incompetence.

Abbas referred AFP to an extraordinary statement issued by army chief of staff General Ashfaq Kayani on June 9 as part of the bin Laden fallout which recommended that US military aid be redirected towards civilians.

The US aid freeze was welcomed by Pakistan's neighbour and rival India.

"It is not desirable that this region had to be heavily armed by the US," External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said, according to the PTI news agency, adding that the spending would upset the regional power balance.

The US administration on Monday, meanwhile, reiterated the reasons for its decision.

"When it comes to our military assistance, we're not prepared to continue providing that at the pace that we were providing it unless and until we see certain steps taken," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

Islamabad's demand that about 100 US advisers leave Pakistani soil, effectively halting military training, was a bar to the prospect of improving "our cooperation in counterterrorism, in counterinsurgency," she added.

"We obviously can't do that in an environment where Pakistan has asked our trainers to go," Nuland told reporters.

The suspended aid includes about $300 million to reimburse Pakistan for some of the costs of deploying more than 100,000 soldiers along the Afghan border, according to The New York Times.

Pakistan says it has 140,000 soldiers in the northwest, more than the 99,000 American troops in Afghanistan, fighting a local Taliban insurgency.

The United States has long called on Pakistan to do more to crack down on militants, such as the Al-Qaeda-linked Haqqani network, who use its soil to attack within Afghanistan, but the army says its troops are too over-stretched.

But the relationship is complicated as the US uses Pakistan as a sea port and land corridor to truck about 50 percent of its military supplies into Afghanistan, although Taliban and other militants routinely attack the convoys.

Ties between the US and Pakistan are now at their lowest point since Islamabad officially broke with the Taliban and sided with Washington after the 9/11 attacks, analysts said.

One Western security official in Islamabad told AFP that bin Laden's killing had hardened America's approach to Pakistan, but the underlying difference was that the so-called allies cannot agree who or what the enemy really is.

"They don't have the same enemy and so relations will only continue along this chaotic path," the official said.

Analyst Rasul Baksh Raees acknowledged the deep antipathy to America that is prevalent in Pakistan, but added: "I think Pakistan and the United States will come to some kind of understanding soon to sort out irritants."

In Washington, Islamabad's ambassador to the US Husain Haqqani said civilian aid continued to flow and that "so far all suggestions for an aid cut-off for Pakistan have been defeated" as the US Congress looks at funding for next year.

On the ground Monday, two missiles fired from a US drone hit a compound in Pakistan's northwestern tribal belt on the Afghan border, killing at least 10 militants, local security officials said.

The missile strikes are hugely unpopular among a Pakistani public deeply opposed to the government's alliance with Washington and sensitive to perceived violations of sovereignty.

&nbsp;

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Pakistan needs to step up anti-terror fight: US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207515/pakistan-needs-to-step-up-anti-terror-fight-us</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207515/pakistan-needs-to-step-up-anti-terror-fight-us#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 11 18:59:11 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207515</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA['We've been talking to Pakistan at all levels about the issues behind these decisions' State Department...]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The US administration, on Monday, defended its decision to suspend $800 million of military aid to Pakistan, saying its uneasy ally needed to make a greater effort in the fight against Islamists.

"When it comes to our military assistance, we're not prepared to continue providing that at the pace that we were providing it unless and until we see certain steps taken," State Department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland said.

The United States was particularly “looking to improve our cooperation in counterterrorism, in counterinsurgency," she told journalists.

Nuland recalled that on May 25, Islamabad demanded that about 100 US advisers leave Pakistani soil, effectively halting military training, adding "we obviously can't do that in an environment where Pakistan has asked our trainers to go."

Earlier, US President Barack Obama's chief of staff, William Daley, had confirmed in a television interview on Sunday that the United States had decided to withhold almost a third of its annual $2.7 billion security assistance to Islamabad.

Islamabad remains a key regional player in Afghanistan, with Obama having decided to withdraw US forces from the country by the end of 2014.

Nuland stressed Monday that "the United States continues to seek a constructive, collaborative, mutually beneficial relationship with Pakistan."

"We've been talking to Pakistan at all levels about the issues behind these decisions," she said.

"We are working together on how we can improve our relationship particularly in the categories of counterterrorism and counterintelligence."

Relations between the key allies in the war on Al-Qaeda drastically worsened after US commandos killed Osama bin Laden in Pakistan in May, humiliating the Pakistani military and opening it to allegations of complicity or incompetence.]]>
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			<title>Suspension of US military assistance</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207359/suspension-of-us-military-assistance</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207359/suspension-of-us-military-assistance#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 11 16:24:05 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207359</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[The divorce with America will be followed by one from the European Union.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[The White House has confirmed that the US is suspending $800 million in military aid to Pakistan. It says the US relationship with Pakistan is difficult and must be made “to work over time” and until “we get through that difficulty, we’ll hold back some of the money that the American taxpayers are committed to give” to its ally, Pakistan. The American press says that “the US is upset with Pakistan for expelling American military trainers and wants tougher action against the Taliban and others fighting American soldiers in Afghanistan”.

The aid that will not be forthcoming will be military aid, which means the quarrel is with the Pakistan Army, whose chief, General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has already expressed himself opposed to receiving it, recommending that it be given to the civilian side. His observation that the army was receiving far less American money than was being publicised by Washington shows the intensity of the quarrel that is developing between the two sides, the Pakistani side being represented by the army because it essentially handles the country’s foreign policy and makes all the big decisions. As for public opinion, General Kayani could have felt no twinge of conscience as the country is completely engulfed in anti-Americanism.

If you separate the political aspects of going it alone, then the economist in Pakistan is happy to provide the grounds for saying goodbye to American money. One leading economist observed: “The facts speak for themselves. Although the Congress authorised a tripling of development assistance in 2008 to $1.5 billion per year, the actual disbursements in fiscal year 2009 were $275 million and $676 million in 2010, including $500 million spent on flood relief. Assuming that the whole $3 billion in economic and military assistance (including $1 billion under the Coalition Support Fund) is disbursed fully, this accounts for less than seven per cent of the total foreign exchange earnings of the country’.

However, the political fallout remains unstudied. The divorce with America will be followed by one from the European Union where foreign policy pronouncements are usually muffled but where fear of terrorism radiating from Pakistan is greatly felt. The all-important $12 billion received as foreign remittances might be affected if Pakistan’s failure of governance worsens since this could have an adverse effect on the banking system. Pakistan’s own capital, including funds stashed away by the politicians, is fleeing the country. If punitive measures are taken against the country through the IMF and the World Bank, Pakistan could be in great difficulty.

What the Pakistani economist is not realising is the nature of the American or western grievance. Let us list it as it appears in the American press: “Pakistan is home to more terrorists than any other country, many of them harboured by the Pakistani Army and its ISI intelligence service. Osama bin Laden lived less than a mile from the country’s top military academy, its West Point, for five years. His heir, Ayman alZawahiri, is probably somewhere nearby. Mullah Omar, amir of Believers to al Qaeda and head of the Afghan Taliban, commutes between Quetta and Karachi. Hafiz Saeed, head of Lashkar-e-Taiba and mastermind of the Mumbai massacre, lives and preaches openly in Lahore. Fazlur Rehman Khalil, head of Harkatul Mujahedeen, which hijacked an Indian airliner in 1999, lives in an Islamabad suburb. Dawood Ibrahim, who killed hundreds with bombs on Mumbai’s metro in 1993, lives in Karachi”. And the Americans believe Pakistan is getting the Taliban to kill Americans across the Durand Line. Will Pakistan be bailed out by China? Or Saudi Arabia? So far, there are no signs of it, unless there is a secret agreement, but then the economist will have to spell out to the Chinese and the Saudis how much money will be required for a Pakistan institutionally dysfunctional to handle money. On the other hand, it is equally uncertain if terrorism will end by itself because Pakistan has finally ‘got rid of the Americans’. In fact, this thinking is a corollary to the intensely felt anti-Americanism in Pakistan. Is Pakistan in a position to take the risk of testing the truth of its passions?

Published in The Express Tribune, July 12th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>India welcomes US suspending military aid to Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207308/india-welcomes-us-suspending-aid-to-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207308/india-welcomes-us-suspending-aid-to-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 11 11:17:39 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207308</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[SM Krishna says not desirable that US heavily arm the region and upset the equilibrium in the region itself.]]>
			</description>
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				<![CDATA[India on Monday welcomed the US decision to suspend $800 million worth of military aid to Pakistan.

"It is not desirable that this region had to be heavily armed by the US, which will upset the equilibrium in the region itself," External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna said, according the domestic PTI news agency.

"To that extent, India welcomes this step," he said.

The United States is withholding some $800 million in aid to Pakistan, almost a third of the $2.7 billion in security assistance it provides each year to Islamabad.

Last month, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton warned that Washington would slow down US military aid to Pakistan unless it took unspecified steps to help the United States.

William Daley, Obama's chief of staff, confirmed that the administration was suspending and, in certain cases, canceling some $800 million of military aid.

The suspended aid includes about $300 million to reimburse Pakistan for some of the costs of deploying more than 100,000 soldiers along the Afghan border, according to the New York Times, which broke the story late Saturday.

In addition, said the Times, hundreds of millions of dollars in training assistance and military hardware are also being withheld.

Correction: An earlier headline of this article did not mention the suspension of 'military'-specific aid to Pakistan. The correction has been made.

_____________________________________________

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			<title>Withholding of aid not to affect tribal foray: Army</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207148/withholding-of-aid-not-to-affect-tribal-foray-army</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/207148/withholding-of-aid-not-to-affect-tribal-foray-army#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Mon, 11 Jul 11 03:43:50 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[kamran.yousaf]]>
			</dc:creator>
			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=207148</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Washington suspends $800m in military aid to Islamabad.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[The Pakistan Army has said that the suspension of US aid would not affect its ongoing campaign against militants in the tribal areas after a senior White House official confirmed that Washington was withholding nearly $800 million, including military assistance, to the country.


White House Chief of Staff Bill Daley told ABC television that Pakistan had “taken some steps that have given us reason to pause on some of the aid”.

But the Pakistan Army tried to downplay the development.

The chief military spokesman told The Express Tribune that any pause in US assistance would not hamper the ongoing offensives by the security forces against militants in the tribal areas.

“We have been doing these operations on our own in the tribal areas and we have sufficient resources to continue them,” insisted Major-General Athar Abbas, the Director General of Inter-Services Public Relations (ISPR).

He added that the US had not yet “informed us in writing about the withholding of military assistance”.

“We have achieved success in the past against al Qaeda in South Waziristan, Bajur and other tribal regions without any external assistance,” he said.

However, Maj-Gen Abbas said the ongoing operations against al-Qaeda in the tribal regions were not only in the interest of Pakistan but also the US and the world at large.

“Al Qaeda is a common enemy of both Pakistan and the US,” he argued.

Military sources say the US announcement was not unexpected.

“These are pressure tactics,” said a military official.  “They (Americans) may temporarily suspend our aid but in the long-run they cannot,” he emphasized.

The US is aware of the fact that Pakistan has a pivotal role to play in the endgame of Afghanistan, he added.

“The relationship is at standstill,” commented another military official, who requested not to be named.

Meanwhile, Pakistan has urged the United States to share intelligence about new al-Qaeda chief Ayman al Zawahiri, after Defence Secretary Leon Panetta claimed that Osama Bin Laden’s successor was hiding inside the country’s tribal belt.

The request from the military appears to suggest that the two countries have yet to establish a mechanism for joint operation against “high value targets” in Pakistan.

Following the death of al-Qaeda chief Osama Bin Laden in a US raid in May, Islamabad and Washington agreed to form a joint intelligence team to hunt down top al Qaeda operatives in the country.

Prior to his arrival in Kabul on Saturday, Defence Secretary Panetta asked Pakistan to go after al Zawahiri, who is believed to be in tribal areas bordering Afghanistan.

“We expect the US intelligence establishment to share available information and actionable intelligence regarding al Zawahari,” said the military spokesman in a statement reacting to Panetta’s demand.

Maj-Gen Abbas added that sharing of information on the new al Qaeda chief would enable the army to carryout targeted operations.

Widening trust-deficit between ISI and the CIA has undermined ties between the two countries.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 11th, 2011.

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			<title>Obama aide confirms US holding back aid to Pakistan</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/206609/us-to-hold-back-800m-in-aid-to-pakistan-ny-times</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/206609/us-to-hold-back-800m-in-aid-to-pakistan-ny-times#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 10 Jul 11 15:00:10 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=206609</guid>
			<description>
				<![CDATA[Obama's chief of staff William Daley confirms the US is holding back some military aid.]]>
			</description>
			<content:encoded>
				<![CDATA[President Barack Obama's chief of staff, William Daley confirmed Sunday the United States (US) is holding back some military aid to Pakistan, after a New York Times report had earlier reported $800 million was being withheld.

"They've taken some steps that have given us reason to pause on some of the aid which we're giving to the military, and we're trying to work through that," William Daley told ABC's "This Week With Christiane Amanpour."

As a result, "We'll hold back some of the money that the American taxpayers have committed to give," he said, adding this amounted to about $800 million, or more than a third of the $2 billion given to Pakistan for security assistance.

Earlier on Saturday, the New York Times had reported on Saturday that the Obama administration would hold back about $800 million in aid to the Pakistani military because Washington was unhappy with Pakistan's expulsion of US military trainers and its campaign against militants.

Relations between the two governments have been strained with the United States wanting Pakistan to intensify its counterterrorism efforts. The relationship also has been tense due to the surprise US raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden on May 2, US drone attacks that have killed civilians and a raft of other issues.

The Times, citing three US senior officials, said the United States was suspending or canceling $800 million in aid and equipment – more than a third of the $2 billion it gives Pakistan for security assistance.

About $300 million in US funding is to reimburse Pakistan for deploying more than 100,000 troops along the Afghan border to combat Taliban and other militant forces. Other funding covers training and military hardware, Times sources said.

US officials told the newspaper the aid and equipment could be resumed if relations improve and Pakistan takes more action against militants.

Pakistan has shut down a US program that had been training paramilitary forces, sending home more than 100 US trainers in recent weeks, and has threatened to close the base the CIA has been using for drone plane attacks on militant targets.

The Times said in private briefings with congressional staffers last month that Pentagon officials said they would be taking a stronger stance toward Pakistan.

"They wanted to tell us, 'Guys, we're delivering the message that this is not business as usual and we've got this under control,'" one senior Senate aide told the newspaper.

In May, a US Navy SEAL team raided a compound where Bin Laden was living in a Abbottabad, near Pakistan's military academy, raising questions about whether Pakistani officials had helped hide him. Pakistan complained it had not been told in advance about the raid.

Last week Admiral Mike Mullen, chairman of the US Joint Chiefs of Staff, accused Pakistan of kidnapping and killing a journalist.

The US-Pakistan relationship also was damaged last year after a CIA contractor in Lahore killed two Pakistanis he said were trying to rob him.]]>
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			<title>Financial assistance to Pakistan: US Congress votes against proposal to cut aid</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/205848/financial-assistance-to-pakistan-us-congress-votes-against-proposal-to-cut-aid</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/205848/financial-assistance-to-pakistan-us-congress-votes-against-proposal-to-cut-aid#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 09 Jul 11 04:37:03 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Republican lawmaker proposed to decrease monetary help by $2b.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Two amendments proposing to cut $2 billion in US aid to Pakistan were voted against in the United States House of Representatives on Thursday, despite the discomfort expressed by several legislators about continuing aid to Pakistan after Osama bin Laden was found and killed in Abbottabad.


The amendments to the Defence Appropriations Act for fiscal year 2012 were moved by Representative Ted Poe, a Republican from the state of Texas.

The first amendment proposed slashing $1 billion from the funds that the US government gives countries that have partnered in helping the US in the war against terrorism. That amendment failed in a 131-297 vote.

The second amendment to the defence appropriations act moved by Poe proposed a cut of $1 billion in funds that the US gives Pakistan for its efforts in counter-insurgency activities.

Various members of the Senate and House have in the past called for a new look at aid being given to Pakistan after the Abbottabad raid in May that led to Osama Bin Laden’s death.

Amendments to money bills are frequently proposed by several members of the  435-member US House of Representatives, but most do not pass. Under the US political system, most of the deliberations and debates over specific bills takes place within the committees, both in the House and the Senate, where the bills originate.

Poe is not a member of any of the House committees that would be involved in drafting the defence budget, or even the overall US budget. He is also not a member of the Congressional leadership of the Republican Party.

Ted Poe holds the same seat in the United States Congress that was once held by Charlie Wilson, the congressman who was instrumental in securing US financial support for the mujahideen against the Soviet Union in the 1980s war in Afghanistan. Wilson’s efforts were chronicled in a book by George Crile titled “Charlie Wilson’s War”, which was also made into a movie by the same name.

The US government has halted the release of money under the Coalition Support Fund, as relations between the two countries have been marred by mistrust. US officials believe Pakistan overstates the expenses it incurs in the war against terrorism.

The fund was set up by the US Congress after the September 11, 2001, attacks to reimburse allies for costs in supporting the US-led war on militancy. Until May, Pakistan had received $8.8 billion from this fund since the attacks.

Last month, reports had emerged that the US has threatened that it will cut off civil and military aid to Pakistan after the country launched a crackdown against the “Central Investigation Agency (CIA) network” and expressed reluctance to go after the deadly Haqqani group based in North Waziristan Agency.

That the amendment was introduced by a Republican in Congress should worry policymakers in Islamabad, who have traditionally relied on support from that party since Democrats, the other major party in the United States, has historically been more hostile towards Pakistan.

While Republican leaders did not back the amendment, several influential lawmakers, such as Senator Lindsay Graham (Republican from South Carolina) and Senator Carl Levin (Democrat from Michigan) have questioned the US alliance with Pakistan and have begun to use increasingly hostile language about what they perceive to be Islamabad’s deceptive behaviour.

Published in The Express Tribune, July 9th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Advice To US: ‘Pakistan must abandon terror path’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/196014/advice-to-us-%e2%80%98pakistan-must-abandon-terror-path%e2%80%99</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/196014/advice-to-us-%e2%80%98pakistan-must-abandon-terror-path%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sat, 25 Jun 11 12:13:19 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[BJP said the US needed to ensure that no US aid supported worrisome policies pursued by Pakistan.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Senior Indian opposition lawmaker Arun Jaitley said on Thursday the US should press Pakistan to end its “path of terror” if it plans to maintain its billions of dollars in assistance.

On a visit to Washington, Jaitley said he agreed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a range of foreign policy issues, including building closer ties with the US, but stressed differences on Pakistan. Jaitley, who leads the right-wing Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the Indian upper house of parliament, said the US needed to ensure that no US aid, either directly or indirectly, supported worrisome policies pursued by Pakistan. “We have always believed that any country which assists Pakistan must necessarily ensure that Pakistan gives up the path of terror as an instrument of state policy,” Jaitley said.

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 25th, 2011.

&nbsp;]]>
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			<title>Pakistan must end 'terror,' Indian BJP leader tells US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/195381/pakistan-must-end-terror-bjp-leader-tells-us</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/195381/pakistan-must-end-terror-bjp-leader-tells-us#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 24 Jun 11 05:16:51 +0500</pubDate>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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			<description>
				<![CDATA[Jaitley says US needs to ensure that no aid 'either directly or indirectly supported worrisome policies by...]]>
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				<![CDATA[Senior Indian opposition lawmaker Arun Jaitley said Thursday the United States should press Pakistan to end its "path of terror" if it plans to maintain its billions of dollars in assistance.

On a visit to Washington, Jaitley said he agreed with Prime Minister Manmohan Singh on a range of foreign policy issues including building closer ties with the United States but stressed differences on Pakistan.

Jaitley, who leads the right-leaning Bharatiya Janata Party (BJP) in the upper house of parliament, said the United States needed to ensure that no US aid either directly or indirectly supported worrisome policies by Pakistan.

"We have always believed that any country which assists Pakistan must necessarily ensure that Pakistan gives up the path of terror as an instrument of state policy," Jaitley told a news conference.

Jaitley pointed to the US raid that killed al Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden in Pakistan, as well as allegations that Pakistani intelligence supported the militants behind the bloody 2008 siege of Mumbai.

"There is now global evidence to indicate that there is hardly... a major terrorist strike anywhere in the world which doesn't have a Pakistani link to it," Jaitley said.

The United States has provided some $18 billion in aid to Pakistan since it pledged support for the campaign against al Qaeda after the September 11, 2001 attacks. A number of US lawmakers have questioned the aid since the Bin Laden raid.

The BJP rose to prominence on calls for Hindu pride and a hawkish foreign policy but, while in power from 1998 to 2004, its prime minister Atal Behari Vajpayee championed diplomacy to improve relations with Pakistan.

Singh has also pursued peace talks with Pakistan and resisted calls for reprisals after the Mumbai attack, which killed 166 people. Indian Foreign Secretary Nirupama Rao was holding talks in Islamabad on Thursday and Friday.

Jaitley stopped short of opposing the talks, but doubted they would be fruitful.

"Unless we can ensure that engagement results in a course correction by Pakistan -- and a demonstrable course correction, that it is able to show its disassociation with any form of encouragement to terror -- the engagement may not yield the desired results," Jaitley said.

Jaitley, a legal expert who has served in Vajpayee's cabinet, visited Washington at the head of a BJP delegation as his supporters try to portray him as a potential future prime minister.]]>
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			<title>Legislation endorsed: US panel seeks to limit Pakistan aid</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/189217/us-house-for-stringent-oversight-of-funds-to-pakistan</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/189217/us-house-for-stringent-oversight-of-funds-to-pakistan#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 15 Jun 11 02:34:08 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[agencies]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[World]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[Bill to withhold 75% of the $1.1 billion in US aid to Pakistan until administration reports to Congress on spending.]]>
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				<![CDATA[A US House of Representatives panel on Tuesday approved a defence spending bill that would impose limits on American aid to Pakistan. The bill envisages the creation of a special bipartisan group to examine Washington’s future role in the decade-long war in Afghanistan.


The bill endorsed by the House Appropriations Committee would withhold 75 per cent of the $1.1 billion in US aid to Pakistan until the administration reports to Congress on how it would spend the money. The committee on Tuesday went a step further, adopting an amendment by Rep. Jeff Flake, R-Arizona, that would give Congress 30 days to review the report before deciding whether the money should be spent.

Pakistan’s “performance or non-performance rubs a lot of people the wrong way,” Flake said. The panel  approved the amendment by voice vote. Overall, the legislation will provide $530 billion to the Pentagon and $119 billion for the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan. US President Barack Obama had requested for $9 billion more.

The bill provides the money for the military’s ships, aircraft, tanks and personnel, and largely tracks the defense blueprint that the House approved last month. Washington watchers said it reflects both the war fatigue even among the most hawkish lawmakers and the widespread doubts about Pakistan’s reliability in counter-terrorism. The US raid and killing of Osama bin Laden deep inside Pakistan has left many lawmakers questioning Islamabad’s eagerness and whether billions in American financial assistance is being wasted. With the Afghanistan war approaching its 10th year, sentiment is growing in Congress for the US to speed up the withdrawal of the 100,000 American troops in the country. The committee adopted an amendment by Rep Frank Wolf, R-Va., that would create an Afghanistan-Pakistan Study Group, a bipartisan organisation to conduct an independent assessment of the conflict and US interests.

The group would be modelled on the Iraq Study Group.

In a fresh sign of the war weariness, Rep Norm Dicks of Washington state said the administration “has to accelerate the withdrawal of US forces from Afghanistan.” Dicks said the question is whether the nation helps its citizens or “does nation building.”

“Although we are engaged in wars on several fronts, there is also a battle being waged at home — against skyrocketing, dangerous deficits,” said Rep Hal Rogers, R-Ky, chairman of the Appropriations Committee.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 15th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>US aid to Pakistan: ‘Corruption becoming a hurdle in implementation’</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/187330/us-aid-to-pakistan-%e2%80%98corruption-becoming-a-hurdle-in-implementation%e2%80%99</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/187330/us-aid-to-pakistan-%e2%80%98corruption-becoming-a-hurdle-in-implementation%e2%80%99#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Sun, 12 Jun 11 05:32:35 +0500</pubDate>
			<dc:creator>
				<![CDATA[huma.imtiaz]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
			<guid isPermaLink="false">https://tribune.com.pk/?p=187330</guid>
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				<![CDATA[Key issue in CRS report is the conditions on the aid, applicable on security related assistance, arms transfers.]]>
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				<![CDATA[In its new report on US aid to Pakistan, the Congressional Research Service (CRS), the public policy wing of Congress, has cited corruption, lack of transparency, certification by the US government on Pakistan’s requirements to act against terrorist groups and a lack of economic reforms as some of the biggest hurdles in the implementation of US aid to Pakistan.


According to the report, the Obama administration has asked for $2,965 million for fiscal year 2012 for aid to Pakistan. Of $2,965 million, nearly 46 per cent is for economic assistance, and 54 per cent for security assistance.

The report highlights various categories that the Obama administration has requested money for, including the Economic Support Fund for $1,360 million and other sectors such as humanitarian aid, health and education services and governance.

In military aid, the US government has requested $350 million for foreign military financing (FMF), $5 million for international military education and training and $23.4 million for nonproliferation, counterterrorism, demining, and related programmes (NADR).

A key issue highlighted in the report is the conditions on US aid to Pakistan which are applicable on security-related assistance and arms transfers. According to the US law, the secretary of state has to annually certify that Pakistan is cooperating with the US to dismantle networks of nuclear proliferation and provide information to the US about any individuals involved in such networks. Additionally, Pakistan has to demonstrate “sustained commitment and significant efforts in combating terrorist groups”, including “ceasing support, by any elements within the Pakistan military or its intelligence agency, to extremist and terrorist groups, particularly to any group that has conducted attacks against the US or coalition forces in Afghanistan, or against the territory or people of neighbouring countries”.

Groups such as al Qaeda, Lashkar-e-Taiba and Jaish-e-Muhammad must also be prevented against carrying out attacks in neighbouring countries. While US Secretary of State Hillary Hilary Clinton certified to Congress in March 2011 that Pakistan was fulfilling these requirements, the report highlights that the certification has been met with scepticism among Congressmen, especially in light of Osama Bin Laden’s presence in Abbottabad.

The CSR report cites that $8.9 billion has been disbursed to Pakistan as of May 2011 in the Coalition Support Funds thus far. The report also highlights Pakistan’s purchases of F-16 fighter jets and armaments out of its own pocket, in addition to those purchased with US aid grants. 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, June 12th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Reading the military’s message</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/186278/reading-the-military%e2%80%99s-message</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/186278/reading-the-military%e2%80%99s-message#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Fri, 10 Jun 11 19:22:33 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[editorial]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Editorial]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[The Pakistan Army clearly stands with the people of Pakistan since most of them also seem to dislike America.]]>
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				<![CDATA[The Pakistan Army is different from that of India in that it makes its opinion known on national matters. The 139th Corps Commanders’ Conference on June 9, 2011 at the GHQ, presided over by Chief of the Army Staff (COAS) General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani, has said that it wants its ‘military-to-military’ relationship with the US reassessed in light of the post-May 2 Joint Parliamentary Resolution of May 14, 2011, which had asked the army to end America’s trespass into Pakistan’s territory and end US drone attacks on Pakistani soil.

The statement wants Pakistanis to stand united. It vows political neutrality but may have shown the military’s hand a bit on the subject of the establishment of a joint commission by the government in the follow-up to the parliamentary joint resolution: “Some quarters, because of their perceptual biases, were trying to deliberately run down the armed forces and the army in particular”. If this is intended at the criticism in the media following the Abbottabad raid and the PNS Mehran attack, then one has to see that much of what the media is saying is an accurate reflection of public sentiment. Many people are angered by the fact that a major chunk of the annual budget goes to the armed forces and for that they expect better results in terms of fighting off terrorists, securing their own installations or even in tracking down the world’s most-wanted terrorist.

Another point mentioned in the statement is that US assistance meant for the military be diverted towards economic aid “which can be used for reducing the burden on the common man”. This rejection of American assistance by the army is based on the following numbers which must come as a surprise to all in Pakistan. Instead of the $13-15 billion in military aid, the civilian government got only $8.6 billion, out of which only $1.4 billion were given to the army over the last decade! The world has been led to believe, however, that the Musharraf government received $10 billion as civilian aid, which it heavily diverted to the army. Releasing these figures would suggest that the army wants to dispel the notion that it is the biggest beneficiary of US aid. That said, it should be understood that the issue shouldn’t be that of the Pakistani military having a direct relationship with the US military but rather that it work with the Pentagon along the parameters set for it by parliament and the elected government of the day.

As for public sentiment, it would be fair to say that the Pakistan Army clearly stands with the people of Pakistan since most of them also seem to dislike America. It stands also with the ‘Voice of the People’ in parliament, which has issued a strong directive to the army — supported by all political parties — to end drone attacks, if need be by ending Nato supplies through Pakistan. But the statement has a message for the people of North Waziristan Agency too, asking them to get rid of the ‘foreigners’ in their midst and defend their territory — a clear pointer to the army’s intent of sooner or later going after the terrorists in North Waziristan. Perhaps we may also see a change of policy insofar as the seeming tolerance of various jihadi outfits is concerned. If that happens, that would be good for Pakistan.

The military’s statement must be examined carefully, in particular by the US, since it must see why so much of its pledged assistance has not been delivered. The opinion in Washington is divided, but those in office think the US cannot do without Pakistan if it wants to fight al Qaeda. Those who oppose this view point to the anti-Americanism within the military, its isolationist India-centric mindset and the infection of sympathy for extremists within some in its ranks. In the final count, the question that must be asked is: How realistic is the objective that parliament set before the army (in the former’s joint resolution)? Politics may get a fillip from exaggeration and hyperbole but wars are not undertaken on the basis of jazba. One journalist died revealing the odds facing Pakistan, indirectly stressing the need to avoid isolation through rejection of international support. Soon the ‘national consensus’ may come to be built on coercion and fear of death.

Published in The Express Tribune, June 11th, 2011.]]>
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			<title>Is Pakistan worth the aid, asks US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/171887/is-pakistan-worth-the-aid-asks-us</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/171887/is-pakistan-worth-the-aid-asks-us#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 11 06:52:27 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[reuters]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[In this part of the world, in many parts of the world, there's always a tendency to pad the contracts: US official.]]>
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				<![CDATA[Pakistan, US weigh aid calculus has air forces, and $30 million for roads and $15 million for bunkers that were not actually built.

The navy received more than $19,000 per vehicle each month just to maintain and operate a fleet of 20 passenger vehicles.

Between 2004 and 2007, Pakistan billed the US government $200 a month per soldier in food costs – it fluctuated between $500 and $800 for sailors. That's between 2.5 and 9.6 times Pakistan's per-capita annual income, which was just over $1,000 in 2009.

When the Office of Defense Representative-Pakistan (ODRP) began to more rigorously verify the Pakistani claims after that 2008 GAO report, the percentage of claims that were rejected doubled in six months to 6 percent and then more than tripled to 22 percent in the next six-month period.

For example, in the first two quarters of fiscal year 2010, Pakistan submitted claims of $531 million and $530 million. The United States paid out $263 million and $326 million.

"We certainly get claims that we have questions about," a US official in Islamabad told Reuters. The official asked for anonymity to speak candidly about the relationship.

Another senior US official dryly added: "In this part of the world, in many parts of the world, there's always a tendency to pad the contracts."

The more rigorous accounting and slower disbursement has added another irritant to the uneasy partnership. Pakistan is at pains to point out that much of the money it gets is not really aid but a reimbursement of expenses it incurs in fighting the US-led war on terrorism.

Pakistan's Army spokesman Major General Athar Abbas said the military gets reimbursed for things like fuel, maintenance of equipment and vehicles, and maintaining soldiers in the field.

He said the money goes first to the finance ministry, and then to the defence ministry before it is allocated to the military.

Pakistan is one of the top recipients of US aid along with Egypt and Israel, but it has not bought America much popularity. Opinion surveys show an overwhelming majority of the Pakistani public holds an unfavourable view of their ostensible ally.

"In the long run, in the historic perspective, will we be able to say it was worth it? Or will historians be able to say that?" mused the senior US official. "I really don't know at this point."]]>
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			<title>Revisiting Pak-US relationship: Debate on aid to Pakistan rages on in the US</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/171130/us-senators-urge-clinton-gates-to-review-pakistan-aid</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/171130/us-senators-urge-clinton-gates-to-review-pakistan-aid#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Thu, 19 May 11 02:18:32 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[afp]]>
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			<category><![CDATA[Pakistan]]></category>
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				<![CDATA[US senators ask Clinton, Gates to ensure Pakistan is doing its utmost to fight extremists, before disbursing more aid.]]>
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				<![CDATA[As US Defense Secretary Robert Gates and US military’s top officer Admiral Mike Mullen advised against cutting off aid to Pakistan, American senators urged Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Gates to make sure Pakistan is doing its utmost to battle extremists before disbursing more US security aid.


The lawmakers, all Democrats, wrote Clinton and Gates a letter on Tuesday in the wake of the raid in which Osama bin Laden was killed.

“We recognise the strategic importance of Pakistan,” wrote the group, which include Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.

“However, we cannot overlook the logical conclusion of recent events, which is to question whether the Pakistani security establishment is ardently working to prevent terrorist groups from operating on Pakistani soil,” they said.

The senators called for reviewing Pakistan’s efforts to end its support for extremist groups, prevent al Qaeda, the Taliban and others from operating on Pakistani soil, and bolster its counter-terrorism and anti money-laundering laws.

“We believe that conducting this assessment will be crucial for the Congress to determine whether to provide the full range of security assistance,” they said in the letter.

Pakistan received a total of $2.7 billion in aid and reimbursements from Washington in fiscal year 2010, which ended on October 1, making it the third-largest recipient of US aid after Afghanistan and Israel.

Finding Bin Laden in Pakistan “indicates, at a minimum, a lack of commitment by the Pakistani military to aggressive cooperation with the United States,” the senators said. “This is particularly concerning as the Congress again considers increasing security assistance to Pakistan,” they said.

Not cutting off aid

Gates and Mullen advised against cutting off aid to Pakistan for its failure to go after militant leaders, saying Washington had important interests at stake and that Islamabad had already been “humiliated” by the raid.

“I think we have to proceed with some caution,” Gates said. “My own view is we need to continue the assistance that we have provided that benefits the Pakistani people,” he said.

The Pentagon chief, in his first press conference since bin Laden was killed on May 2, argued against punishing Pakistan by suspending aid as Islamabad had suffered a blow as a result of the covert raid.

“If I were in Pakistani shoes, I’ve already paid a price. I’ve been humiliated, I’ve been shown the Americans can come in here and do this with impunity,” he said.

As to whether Pakistani authorities knew the hiding place of bin Laden, Gates said: “It’s my supposition, I think it’s a supposition shared by a number in this government, that somebody had to know, but we have no idea who and no proof and no evidence.”

He said he shared the “frustration” felt by US lawmakers towards Pakistan but stressed that President Barack Obama’s administration could not make allegations without evidence.

“It’s hard to go to them with an accusation when we have no proof that anybody knew.”

Mullen said it would take time to learn who may have known about bin Laden in Pakistan as intelligence agencies are still poring over a large amount of material found at the al Qaeda leader’s compound.

 

 

Published in The Express Tribune, May 19th, 2011.

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			<title>US should continue Pakistan aid: Robert Gates</title>
			<link>https://tribune.com.pk/story/171493/us-should-continue-pakistan-aid-robert-gates</link>
			<comments>https://tribune.com.pk/story/171493/us-should-continue-pakistan-aid-robert-gates#comments</comments>
			<pubDate>Wed, 18 May 11 19:15:19 +0500</pubDate>
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				<![CDATA[&quot;We do have significant interest in Pakistan. My own view is we need to continue the assistance&quot;.]]>
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				<![CDATA[US Defense Secretary Robert Gates said Wednesday that continued American aid to Pakistan is of "significant" US interest, and that he saw no evidence that Islamabad knew the whereabouts of Osama bin Laden before a US raid.

Appearing before lawmakers, Gates said he could understand Congress’ frustration with Pakistan over the war against Al-Qaeda and the Taliban but cautioned against cutting off assistance.

"I think we have to proceed with some caution," Gates said. "We do have significant interest in Pakistan. My own view is we need to continue the assistance that we have provided that benefits the Pakistani people."

As to whether Pakistani authorities knew the hiding place of Bin Laden before the US raid in which he was killed this month, Admiral Mike Mullen said "I've seen no evidence since the bin Laden raid that indicates that the top leadership knew bin Laden was there", which Gates seconded, saying "I've seen no evidence at all to support that notion and that I've seen some evidence on the contrary".

Gates noted Pakistan had already paid a significant price in embarrassment and damage to its reputation as a result of the raid.

"If I were in Pakistani shoes, I would say I've already paid a price. I've been humiliated. I've been shown that the Americans can come in here and do this with impunity," he said.

Gates also said Pakistanis had indicated a willingness to go after Al Qaeda or Afghan insurgent leaders, and it was important to give them an opportunity to do that.

"The Pakistanis over the last couple of weeks have expressed the view that they are willing to go after some of these people and we should not repeat the Bin Laden operation because they will undertake this themselves," he said.

He added that he shared the "frustration" felt by US lawmakers towards Pakistan but stressed that President Barack Obama's administration could not make allegations without evidence.

"It's hard to go to them with an accusation when we have no proof that anybody knew."

Mullen said it would take time to learn who may have known about bin Laden in Pakistan as intelligence agencies are still poring over a large amount of material found at the Al-Qaeda leader's compound.

Earlier in the day, US senators, in a letter to both Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates, had urged them to make sure Pakistan is doing its utmost to battle extremists before disbursing more US security aid.

The senators called for reviewing Pakistan’s efforts to end its support for terrorist groups, prevent al Qaeda, the Taliban and others from operating on Pakistani soil, and bolster its counter-terrorism and anti money-laundering laws.

Pakistan received a total of $2.7 billion dollars in aid and reimbursements from Washington in fiscal year 2010, which ended on October 1, making it the third-largest recipient of US aid after Afghanistan and Israel.

Finding bin Laden in a Pakistani military town “indicates, at a minimum, a lack of commitment by the Pakistani military to aggressive cooperation with the United States,” the senators said.

“This is particularly concerning as the Congress again considers increasing security assistance to Pakistan,” they said.]]>
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