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Pak-US relations: Congress impatience with Islamabad increasing
Halfway into this year, several bills introduced centred on reducing aid to Pakistan.
Halfway into this year, several bills introduced centred on reducing aid to Pakistan. PHOTO: FILE
WASHINGTON:
While weather in the US capital may be unseasonably pleasant, the temperature in Congress is heating up as senators and House members publicly take out their frustration on Pakistan.
The first half of the current year has already seen several bills introduced by various Congressmen asking for the right to self-determination for the people of Balochistan, US citizenship for Dr Shakil Afridi, blocking of military aid and all assistance to Pakistan, and recently a cut in military assistance with more conditions than ever before. The Congressional mood regarding Pakistan has been described as ‘increasingly impatient’.
Dr Afridi’s sentence and the closure of Nato supply routes have adversely affected the mood in Congress as well.
Earlier this week, Senator Rand Paul tried to push for an amendment in the Senate farm bill calling for stopping all civilian assistance to Pakistan until the routes were reopened.
While there were some positive moments this week – Senator Feinstein asked Defence Secretary Leon Panetta during a hearing why an apology had not been issued to Pakistan and Senate Leader Harry Reid blocked Senator Paul’s amendment from going forward – the impression amongst many is that if the routes remain closed, Congress would continue showing impatience with Pakistan using legislation and remarks.
The way forward
A Senate aide, speaking to The Express Tribune on condition of anonymity, said that the US and Pakistan need political space, which would come from reopening the supply routes.
“If the routes are opened, it will give both sides space, and they can keep things going until after the elections,” he added.
A Congressional aide, also speaking on condition of anonymity, echoed the sentiment: “We need some small wins. Opening the Ground Lines of Communications (GLOCs) will be a good restart and can help calm the situation.”
“The notion of a US-Pakistan strategic relationship is basically over. We are looking at more transactional things we can do together.”
In August, Congress will go into recess, and will resume session in September. But in the run-up to the US presidential election, very little may take place – members are expected to be busy in campaigning – barring any big shocks.
But Islamabad and Washington seem to be in a stalemate since Pakistan insists on an apology.
“Pakistan might not get an ‘I’m sorry’, but there are plenty of ways to communicate condolences and regret. The president and Secretary Clinton amongst others have already said that in a time of war, the US regrets loss of life,” said the Senate aide. “There is increasing impatience and frustration in Congress with Pakistan, which is empowering right wing elements in the country.”
The aide said that walking away from Pakistan was not an option, and even if the issues at hand were difficult, both sides had to engage. “This is no longer the Reagan-Zia era of the 80s, there are multiple stakeholders.”
But engagement may not be enough to defuse the moods of the hard-line Congress members who are losing patience with Pakistan. The Congressional aide said, “Two years ago, the Afridi case would have not been a measure of our relationship. It would have been handled more discreetly.”
“If the GLOCs don’t open, you could see a further deterioration in relations,” said the Senate aide.
Published In The Express Tribune, June 16th, 2012.
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Reader Comments (29)
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We don’t care
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It is evident both nations are behaving like novices and pariah states. Why is this and what will it achieve? Ego satisfaction?? NO; Congressmen and Senators who reacted rashly showed their shallowness and displayed their incompetence to solve issues. Rather, they chose to throw tantrums. Cannot solve issues like this. Pakistan for that matter must show more effective ways to deal with the situation. Be more creative and decisive. Recommend
@Pakistani: Says “We Dont Care”
Reply.
But my dear- 90 % of defence detterents developed against India are because of foreign aid only. Defence Aid which is given to Pak for fight against terror has been utilised for Anti India purposes.
So my dear friend/foe – Think before you say anything
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Has the country not survived through the last three years of ‘No Aid’, ‘No Bills Paid’ from the Masters !!
Let Pakistan alone please !!
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No coalition support no coalition support fund. Its not only the president who has to go to the polls. Congressmen and senators have to answer to an electorate a large chunk of which has seen friends and relatives returning from Afghanistan tours with tales of the Haqqanis and others sheltered in safe havens in Pakistan.
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Pakistanis don’t care what Congress thinks. The action by NATO was an act of war on Pakistan and if they don’t want to apologize, then let them pay an astronomical amount to other countries. Pakistanis will happily oblige by even cutting off the air corridor for NATO troops. They think they can bully 180 million Pakistanis into subservience? These tactics are desperate acts! Do they even want to get out of Afghanistan with a reasonable amount respect?
Let them howl! These are desperate acts by Americans. They know they have greatly wronged Pakistan by killing Pakistani soldiers, similar to what NATO did when it bombed Chinese embassy in Serbia back in the 1990s at a time when Chinese diplomats were inside the embassy. Then they called it a “mistake,” but it was a deliberate attack just like the deliberate act on Pakistan. Pakistan will not spare NATO!
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Pakistan does not need help from US. Applying sanctions on Pakistan, US is trying to make Pakistan like North Korea.
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To US congressmen – please stop all kind of aids for us and just leave us alone.
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Senator Feinstein has lost her freaking mind thought Mr. Panetta. Department of Defense is an executive branch and the Secretary along with the President, National Security Team, Chief Staff and military advisors to the president decides what and what not to do.
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reply to dr vikas-pakistan developed its nuclear weapons in 1990″s when no us aid was coming.so ur statement is totally incorrect.infact us was making every effort to stop pakistan from fetting the weapons.they imposed a lot of sanctions on us.get ur facts straight.
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@SHAHID:
We don’t care. We would rather pay more instead of giving our tax dollars to bottom less and ungrateful pit called Pakistan. We have propped you up since your beginnings and this is how you pay us back.
Now we know your true colors.
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@Dr Vikas: Answer again is ” WE DO NOT CARE”. Recommend
By giving aid, US is helping itself, not Pakistan
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this a tussle between pak army gen. and civil administration….
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The Americans are shamelessly greedy people…. no boubt about that ….. !
Or else, why would they need to team up with Pakistan, a country with divergent interests all along, for past so many decades, and still can not leave it …. !Recommend
@Zulfiqar Baig:
@SHAHID:
You don’t even know the difference between “aid” and “sanctions” (as applied to North Korea,Iran, Sudan, Somalia, etc. in whose “privileged league” you belong to). If Pakistan was slapped with sanctions, assuming it is one day declared a terrorist state by the rest of the world, it would be totally isolated and boycotted by the rest of the world: no bank transactions, no air and sea links, no trade, no visas for Paki nationals anywhere in the world, no assets in Swiss, Dubai, American and other banks, etc. Pakistan very nearly got declared a terrorist state in the 1990s but by a freak of the UN procedural differences, it got away. I hope this would not happen because there are many decent, innocent and well-meaning Pakistanis who can make a positive contribution to your country. As for you two, your arrogance is totally out of place with the ground realities. It’s like the silly and vanity-driven fox calling the grapes sour.Recommend
What planet is Senator Dianne Fianstinne living? President Obama can kiss good bye to his office in presidential elections of 2012, once he apologizes to Pakistan.
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Americans are smart peoples they should know what is working and when not working, and when free is not given then pay the price and come out of it. If some one stand up then it is time to pay respects and handle respectfully rather than spoile every thing. Smart peoples make smart moves not silly moves.
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Reading these comments leads to the belief you dont want US money. We agree on something then. You dont want it we dont want to give it. All right then.
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@Rehan:
Frankly speaking, I wouldn’t be so sure that these attacks and killings in Pakistan were done deliberately. US soldiers and especially the US air force is purposely fed with drugs to accomplish their feats. A sorry state for these men at war… and all Americans expect them to be Super Heros. Perhaps you may remember in Iraq around Basra, they had also killed Canadians i.e. their allies, by mistake?
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@Vikas – India is one of the largest aid recipients in the world.
@FactChecker – I am sure I pay more in taxes than you & I want this waste of a war to come to an end. I don’t pay taxes for this nonsense.
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@Jibran Bilal; I absolutely agree with you, Why should we care? It cannot bring any more suffering on an ordinary citizen that he or she has not already been experiencing.
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“The notion of a US-Pakistan strategic relationship is basically over. We are looking at more transactional things we can do together.”
The repeated betrayals by US are so insulting to the Pakistani nation that this time we are not willing to do any “transactional things” either. Use the services of India, your new strategic partner.
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@ammar: “pakistan developed its nuclear weapons in 1990″s “
You are wrong. They were developed in the 1980s when aid was at its peak. Dr. A Q Khan himself has said so.
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The deterioration/destruction of the American/Pakistani alliance is arguably the best thing that has ever happened to India — that alone has to make some of the hardliners in Pakistan wonder whether their current strategy makes any sense.
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An apology and concrete steps to ensure that such deliberate acts are punished and do not occur would calm the situation and give space.
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@vikas
Indians still rattling? anything goes wrong with pakistan, end losers shall be indies.
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think we should forget america… rather we should try and increase our relationship with India… we basically are the same people… if ind china pak tie up like europe we would be unstoppable.. I know we had a bitter past.. but look at Europeans..they fought 2 world wars inbetween them plus countless before and yet they came together for mutual benefit and the greater good.. we should follow in their footsteps*
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history of Pakistan us relation is full of ups and down.current ties between the two is more complex ever since.now Pakistan must take real earth steps in the wake of relation with us not on the ground of financial assistance.
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