WASHINGTON: Lawmakers in the House of Representatives debating the $642.5 billion National Defense Authorisation Act (NDAA) 2013, approved it following a vote 299-120 in favour.
As the bill was approved, enroute, an amendment was proposed which could block up to $650 million in proposed payments to Pakistan unless Islamabad lets coalition forces resume shipment of war supplies across its territory. Lawmakers voted 412-1 in favour of the amendment.
War-weary US lawmakers clashed over Afghanistan policy and vented their frustration with Pakistan's border closing on Thursday as they debated an annual defense policy bill that seeks $642.5 billion in military spending for the 2013 fiscal year.
The moves came as lawmakers debated more than 140 amendments to the policy bill, which seeks $554 billion in base defense spending for fiscal year (FY) 2013 and $88.5 billion for the Afghan war and other overseas operations.
The pressure for an accelerated withdrawal from Afghanistan came ahead of a two-day NATO summit in Chicago starting on Sunday where leaders will discuss the final transition to Afghan security control and the withdrawal of international forces by the end of 2014.
Democratic lawmakers tried to urge Obama to complete an accelerated handover of security to Afghan forces by the end of 2013 and to remove US troops by the end of 2014.
Islamabad closed the frontier to NATO supply convoys after an air strike in November killed 24 Pakistani soldiers. A US official said on Wednesday the two sides were on the verge of clinching a deal to reopen the supply lines.
Sherry Rehman holds meetings with US Congressmen
On a related note, The Express Tribune learned from the Embassy of Pakistan that the Ambassador Sherry Rehman has been meeting with senior Republican and Democratic leaders in the Congress on the subject of US-Pakistan relations and the parliamentary review. The Ambassador is said to have met with Rep. Nancy Pelosi, Ileana Ros-Lehtinen and Senators John Kerry, Dianne Feinstein and Carl Levin amongst others.
The Express Tribune was told that during the discussions, Congressional leaders were told that the recent amendments on US assistance to Pakistan "would not help bring the relationship back on track," and that Pakistan "stood to gain more from peace and stability in Afghanistan than Pakistan and it was therefore incorrect to blame Pakistan for the difficulties in Afghanistan."
COMMENTS (36)
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@mukul: How about to start we all pay our past and currently due income taxes, shall we?
@John Gaines: Please, please keep your money. Pakistanis don't want what affects Pakistan like AIDS and it is destroying it.
Tit for tat is the name of the game. Silly games played by Pakistan and silly response from the US too. America will remain in Afghanistan till terror machine is kept alive by the guardians of the country. What public and politicians think does not bother the US.
@A.S.Ahamed Farooq: On one side you tend to be so egoistics & followers of principles of Islam, now you are relying on AID money to run your economy, moreover 90 % of general public in Pakistan is Anti America. such comments are difficult to digest. Reply to-USD650milliom is a huge amount.Taking Pakistan’s economic conditions into consideration,it cannot afford to lose this amount.Therefore its logical and comprehensible that Pakistan need to relent and reopen the NATO supply route across Pakistan to Afghanistan.As a matter of fact,America is a treacherous ally in the War on Terror.It deserves to be harassed in whatever way possible for harassing and bullying Pakistan..In the case of closure of the supply routes,while some harm is inflicted on the United States,Pakistan is also prune to lose heavily by way of hard cash.However distasteful it may be,reopening the supply route is a better option.
Pakistan has to learn to live without american aid. The aides (billion or millions of dollers) are slowly killing the pakistani economy. The self respect only comes when the nation is able to stand on its own feet in the time of need.
These bills and amendments shows how much US and NATO are suffering due to blockade of supplies. But our politicians will not stand up for their country but they will obey their masters and open the NATO supplies.
@DB:
Hard to swallow that our army does not know the location of our soldiers but it makes sense to ask India for help if only to recover the bodies of our soldiers, as naturally it is a basic task of an enemy to know where exactly you are based for them to target you.
USD650milliom is a huge amount.Taking Pakistan's economic conditions into consideration,it cannot afford to lose this amount.Therefore its logical and comprehensible that Pakistan need to relent and reopen the NATO supply route across Pakistan to Afghanistan.As a matter of fact,America is a treacherous ally in the War on Terror.It deserves to be harassed in whatever way possible for harassing and bullying Pakistan..In the case of closure of the supply routes,while some harm is inflicted on the United States,Pakistan is also prune to lose heavily by way of hard cash.However distasteful it may be,reopening the supply route is a better option.
@Jameel: What does Siachen have to do with this? When the US and European countries could not help with Siachen tragedy, how will India help unless they send a million Indians to dig with shovels.
@Gul Khan Momand And also to the pocket of the generals.
Where
s DPC & Sir Imran Khan? Why theres no protests? Our Politicians have sold the country, shame..@Jameel: Nations become helpless against natural disasters . Tell me how much Japan retrieved after tsunami ? You can defeat an army with another army but can't defeat fate given by nature
@From Toronto With Love: telling this to the current leaders who thrive on corruption....... Its like "bhains kay agay been bajana"
We wont have any effect if they stop their aid, Pakistan public does not need your Aid.
@Naeem Malik: Paksitan lsot $80 Billion plus all infrastructure FROM kARACHI TO TORKHAM. Paksitan lost 40,000 lives which counts for us.Pakistan lsot over 5000 soldiers in this war.
Naeem Malik you want more Pakistani blood.
No one IS against Aemrica except less than 1% in Pakistan remianing people just show their anger on th both Aemrica and PaKISTANI gOVT.
US Embassy in Islammabad is biggest Embassy is in the world where ther are so many 1000s people living including 1000s American marines who are getting msot money in administration fee and Remaining money goes to corrupt GOVT. own pocket.
What ordinary Paksitani has got?????????? Big NOTHING.
No one is telling how much we will loose if we open NATO supplies, Media sucks
@Gul Khan Momand: what we are lose is our dignity as a nation (though torn already)
Protect your honour please. Money comes and goes, don't be slave of paper.
I want to say something about NETO suppliy i think pakistan do not open suppliy becouse this is not good favour for pakistan US and pentagon not goverment not favor or pak-indo friendship thay are liars
No money in Aid , has ever reached the Public. This is the well Known fact. Like all other aid , this one will end up in the bank accounts of All politicians, top shot generals and bureaucrats's foreign currency accounts in Switzerland. This is the only purprose of this Aid i.e. to bribe the leadership and do everything possible which is in the best interest of US and worst in the people of the nation. These Thugs when get money sing only one song , no matter what poor people keep shouting. Everyone now believe that this aid must stop at all cost if the country has to progress. With this Aid, Nation will slide into more poverty.
Oh well Everyone has the same thoughts, this money never reaches the public , so for the masses it does not matter we get the 650million or not. Not so sure about its effects to the accounts of the rulers though !!
Lawmakers in the House of Representatives debating the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2013 voted 412-1 for an amendment that could block up to $650 million in proposed payments to Pakistan unless Islamabad lets coalition forces resume shipment of war supplies across its territory. IT WOULD BE THE BEST FAVOR THEY WILL DO FOR PAKISTAN. WE MUST LEARN TO STAND ON OUR OWN FEET.
Wow... That tells you the level of influence over their so called "democratic structure". On one signal all of those who were going to vote in favor, voted against it.
Reopening of NATO supply routes is imminent and Pakistan's sovereignty. dignity, honour, pride, self-respect, beard blistering all wash out in the same route. Poor soldiers lost their lives in an unknown glacier for this shameless country. Even after forty days, our great army could not retrieve a single dead body of our soldiers. Why can't we take help from neighbouring India. They killed less Pakistanis than US.
We feel the same way as you do, no money under any circumstances to Pakistan, ever.
Know the facts first. I am drafting shocking facts, which I will post later, about how and who created, trained, armed, glorified and brutalized Jihadis of today from the school age up. The US/West is, If not wholly then equally responsible with Pakistan for the problems the world is facing today. The people of Pakistan as distinct from the rulers, are paying a very heavy price for that but the rulers who are responsible for the problem enjoy the support of the US/West. Think about it.
I would guess that Pakistan government held their hand out for more cash to reopen border to US!!
PM should resign and the next PM shoud be From MQM. I am Sure the will bargain with US.
Pakistan took 20 billion $ aids money in 10 year. Army 14 billion $ and civilian 6 billion $ but still Americans are enemy number 1 than beloved "good" Taliban in Pakistan :-)… shame and sheer hypocrisy.
I hope we make the right decision after all Pakistani lives are more important than financial aid from western countries.
This money is not gonna be used for any welfare of the people of pakistan even if we get it, so just let it go.....ignore it, instead of filling the filthy mouths of our stinky politicians !!
A catch-22 situation for Pakistan. we closed the NATO supply only to make good bargaining position ( that was good posture) but later on changed it into anti-US campaign. Now the good bargain has gone for six and the whole issue has been hijacked by Diffa e Pakistan council. The Taliban have threatened a severe blow back which will definitely fall on poor and hapless people of the country. Mark my words, be ready for very rough going after the announcement of NATO supply resumption.
No comments from Pak!!!
We have no choice but to open the gates for NATO supplies..
Who is that one guy who voted against the Amendment? Pakistani lobby at work?
People of Pakistan are not going to lose anything. All the money goes into the pocket of corrupt politicians.