- RSS
- Today's Paper
- Subscribe
- beta 2.1
Alerts
NATO supply routes: Panetta says US will not be price ‘gouged’
Says Washington wants a ‘fair price’ fixed for using Pakistani supply lines; calls Dr Afridi’s conviction...
"This has been one of the most complicated relationships that we’ve had, working with Pakistan," US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta. PHOTO: FILE
WASHINGTON: Amidst seemingly deadlocked negotiations between the US and Pakistan over Nato supply routes, US Defence Secretary Leon Panetta vowed on Sunday not to let Washington be ‘gouged’ by Islamabad on the price it charges for overland deliveries of American military supplies to Afghanistan.
The statement which is likely to further incense Pakistani officials follows months of gingerly steps by the US to make up with Islamabad. Pakistan had closed the land route to Nato supplies in November as punishment for the Nato air strike in Mohmand Agency that killed 24 Pakistani soldiers.
US defence officials have said the Pakistanis are demanding several thousand dollars for every truck crossing its border with the supplies, up from $250 per truck before the closure.
Pakistani officials have justified the demand of $5,000 per container, saying it is “neither irrational nor out of the blue”. They added that nearly a decade of cooperation without any infrastructure-related charges had ruined Pakistan’s roads.
The infrastructure was used for eight years without paying any charges. In the ninth year, the US started paying a nominal handling fee of $250 per container to the National Logistic Cell – Pakistan Army’s logistics arm, officials said.
But Defence Secretary Panetta refused to agree to an ‘unreasonable’ price. “We’re not about to get gouged in the price. We want a fair price,” Panetta said on ABC’s “This Week.”
‘Complicated’
The supply lines impasse is just one of a host of issues that have opened deep schisms in relations between the two allies in the war against militancy.
Panetta admitted that relations with Pakistan were ‘complicated’.
“This has been one of the most complicated relationships that we’ve had, working with Pakistan. You know, we have to continue to work at it. It is important. This is a country that has – that has nuclear weapons,” Panetta said.
“So our responsibility here is to keep pushing them to understand how important it is for them to work with us to try to deal with the common threats we both face,” he added.
The issues between Pakistan and the US flared anew last week when an assistant political agent sentenced Dr Shakil Afridi, who had helped the CIA track down al Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden, to 33 years in prison.
Panetta said it was ‘so disturbing’ that the Pakistani government sentenced a doctor to 33 years in prison on treason charges.
Dr Afridi “was not working against Pakistan. He was working against al Qaeda. And I hope that ultimately Pakistan understands that”, he said. “What they have done here,” he added, “does not help in the effort to try to reestablish a relationship between the United States and Pakistan.”
The Senate Appropriations Committee has already voted to cut US aid to Pakistan by a symbolic $33 million – $1 million for each year of jail time given to Shakil Afridi, the doctor.
Panetta said plans for foreign troops to hand over security responsibilities to Afghan forces starting in mid-2013 were on track and necessary to ensure that the Taliban are kept at bay.
“The world needs to know that we still have a fight on our hands,” Panetta said. “We’re still dealing with the Taliban. Although they’ve been weakened, they are resilient.”
The defense secretary said the Taliban have been unable to conduct any kind of organised attack to reclaim territory lost to Nato and Afghan forces.
Published in The Express Tribune, May 28th, 2012.
Read more:
shakilafridi
, uspakrift
Reader Comments (23)
World Latest Stories
Property registration: Greek woman seeks case against six men for fraud
Says men took 27,000 euros from her for plot and then gave her forged property document.
Maoists kill 17, including Congress leader in central India: Police
Indian prime minister promises all necessary aid to Chhattisgrah chief minister.
French soldier patrolling in Paris stabbed in neck: Police
The soldier was patrolling in uniform in a Parisian locality when he was attacked.
Men arrested off PIA flight to UK to spend 12 more hours in custody
The two men, both British nationals, are being questioned by the Essex police.
Problem in the air (II)
Captain and crew should be commended for erring on the side of caution, keeping safety of their passengers paramount.
Biden warns on violence in calls with Iraqi leaders
A wave of bombings and attacks across Iraq has killed 420 people so far this month.
Qusayr battle rages as Syria regime presses assault
Fighting and shelling on Saturday are the most intense, says head of Syrian Observatory for Human Rights.
Seoul press doubtful over N Korea dialogue offer
North Korean special envoy says North Korea is willing to take positive actions to solve problems through dialogue.
Recent Slideshows
This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, redistributed or derived from.
Unless otherwise stated, all content is copyrighted © 2013 The Express Tribune News Network.
Technical feedback? [email protected]
Who cares, Pakistanis don’t want to open routes and support Imperialist escapades. You can bribe with whatever you like to these corrupt politicians but the routes won’t open.
Recommend
brave coming from a looser who wasted billion of $ fighting against few guys with ak47s and still lost the war and not only that, even running away from the war zone what a muppet i cant understand how american buying this……….
Recommend
i am not surprise he still lying after all this what a sturban what he dont understand that to fight a phattan u need a heart………. not technology
Recommend
U.S. to start solving "old issues" with the local power dealers, maybe they don't have to continue this war or spend a dime about it. U.S.'s friends are manipulating her to stay in business themselves and keep one out of business__either way. The problem is the General Election is around the corner in the involved countries and No One want to take this Poison-Pill. How about make payment promise until elections.
No doubt Republicans were better in buying favors from Dictators than Democrats from a Democracy. You can’t win both-ways can you?
Recommend
. Pakistan is against reopening of supply routes It wont be $250, it wont be $5000, and it wont be $100,000. Now forget this discussion already, and quit Afghanistan Only the corrupt want the dollars, the people dont.
Recommend
Are you accusing your ‘ally’ of ‘price gauging’ and extortion ?
Recommend
Its been 6 months now and the prediction that NATO will be on its knees, begging Pakistan is well and truly proved to be on false premise. The premise being that land routes over Pakistan are so crucial that NATO will be willing to goto any lengths to please Pakistan.
Almost all the commentators in the Opinions sections agree this strategy has gone horribly wrong.
I think it has accelerated Pakistan’s movement towards isolationism. The wheels of isolationism have started to rotate, in time it will pick up speed. Once 2014 comes, the wheel will be spinning at a rapid pace.
Recommend
I can predict the new trending topic from Pakistani twitter users after #shutupclinton it would now be #shutuppanetta
Recommend
Pakistan should tell the US “our way or the highway”……let them find another route to get into Afghanistan
Recommend
How could price gouging, extorting and blackmailing be the result of loss of lives of a couple of dozen soldiers? Are we selling more and more our soldiers? The US is not going to be blackmailed at all costs.
Recommend
You are being price gouged by the central asian routes. If $5000 seems unfair, it’s okay, keep using the other routes. No problem.
Recommend
Why the $250 was ending up in NLC’s kitty? If $5000 is going to meet the same fate then sorry we don’t need any money.
Recommend
@Moise
Isn’t strategic depth, “imperialism”?
Recommend
*If US insists that NLC should come under civilian control if the Pakistan government wants to negotiate price for overland deliveries, will Army agree to that? *
Recommend
@Wellwisher:
If only PAK people know. Good to point out subtly.
Everyone knows the army runs the NATO supply route and they will open it once they all reach an agreement on whatever issues PAK army is negotiating. The issues certainly are not apology or drones, that is for sure.
Recommend
Price of container transit fee went from $250 to $5000 under new policy of “we want trade not aid”. US should convert all aid money into transit fee.
Recommend
@Aamir:
Mute point, they already have. As the troop draw down continue, less and less supplies are needed. C130 Hercules, Land Routes through Russia and other Central Asian Countries are sufficient to meet the need.
No ever accused Pakistanis for being visionaries or for their ability to understand geopolitics and no one ever will anytime soon.
Recommend
The problem with Pakistan is that its image is projected by the wrong people .. the educated class is always busy in their day to day life as if this country doesn’t matter to them. The half baked potatoes who are jumping to comments against the US and demanding such money are doing nothing but destroying this country.
US & NATO doesn’t need to stay in this area for long and sooner or later they will leave .. Our policy makers just care about a few months instead of creating a friendly relationship with around 30 or so countries who are using this transit .. After a few months once they are gone I wonder where will we export our products, how will this country get its loans from IMF or the Aid that comes from US & other dozen or so countries. If $250 per container was not enough then they should have planned ahead and asked for appropriate fee which should have been used for repair of roads but lets not forget besides this fee we get billions worth aid .. and Not all of it goes to politicians as commented by few above .. USAid and other agencies hire local people and give them employment when doing hundreds of projects across the country that any one can check on their websites.
People who are asking them to leave the area are forgetting once they are gone from the area.
Those people who were fighting against US etc will turn against Pakistan with full force & If we ever are under sanctions which is very likely due to our ignorance and arrogance, we will soon see anarchy with no money and backing from these countries we will never be able to defend ourselves.Recommend
@FactrCheck:
True. Soon you might hear some supplies going to AF through Chahbahar, Iran.
Recommend
Enough is enough. Pakistan will also not let you have Free Lunch
Recommend
The pro-extremist culture is nothing but the result of pro-extremists' political activities from cultural & religious centers. Our media is a blessing for bringing out such issues. These Religious Radicals thrive by high-recruitment when they comparatively look "true & humble" due to the lawlessness, poverty, corruption, violence and all sorts of diseases, sickness plus the breakdown of school education and other infra structures.
Remember that they are definitely going to support a “poor & defeated” mass than a “successful thriving culture”. Now one of the ways to achieve that is by severing all ties from technologically advanced and economically thriving world that we see happening today. After the Pak commit this suicide it’s very easy to rule barely-living humans. The educated people who can see far and can estimate the long range effect of today’s decisions over time have the responsibility on their shoulders, because others will join the extremists for refuge & comfort.
Recommend
@Khan:
Wow you’re one pessimistic fellow if ever, we have faith in Allaah, whatever comes, we will rely on Allah not the US.
Recommend
@MUSLIM PAKISTANI:
I don’t blame you .. any one who talk a little sense here is either called a traitor or pessimistic .. faith is one thing and rationally living is another. All these developed countries you see my friend, didn’t become develop because they thought whatever comes, but instead they planned ahead and executed their well thought plans for the sake of country. Becoming an ostrich can only bring anarchy to this country. Faith in religion doesn’t run a country and has nothing to do with it. Every single human is given a brain for a reason. A country is run just like a home where some one has to earn for having a good and prosperous life. On the other hand a family who doesn’t plan ahead and isn’t living rationally spends their life in misery and poverty forever.
Recommend