World

Republican US presidential candidate questions Pakistan aid

Gingrich questions American aid to Pakistan following the killing of Osama bin Laden in the country.

Reuters May 14, 2011

WASHINGTON: Republican presidential candidate Newt Gingrich on Friday called for more oil drilling in the United States and questioned American aid to Pakistan as he took his young campaign to his home state of Georgia.

Gingrich, who was speaker of the US House of Representatives during the 1990s, declared himself a candidate in the 2012 presidential election on Wednesday in what many analysts say will be an uphill battle to win the presidency.

In a speech to members of the Georgia Republican Party, Gingrich said the United States needs to reassess the billions of dollars in aid it gives Pakistan following the killing of Osama bin Laden there by US special forces in a daring May 2 raid.

Authorities now are trying to piece together how the al Qaeda leader came to live in the northern Pakistan garrison town of Abbottabad for apparently years before his death.

"When I learned that after paying $20 billion since 9/11, they had been housing him in Pakistan, I kind of forgot what the world 'ally' meant," Gingrich said. "There is a point when you have to say to people around the world, 'How stupid do you think we are?'"

Gingrich also derided President Barack Obama's energy policy, arguing that opening up more US drilling areas could help bring gas prices down.

Gingrich, 67, is a conservative known for budget battles with President Bill Clinton after he led the "Republican revolution" in 1994 elections. Gingrich has laid out a pro-business economic agenda as the centerpiece of his campaign, pledging to shrink the size of government and cut taxes to help the ailing US economy.

COMMENTS (11)

Pakistani | 13 years ago | Reply @Tariq: We will welcome that. After all no one has gained from their relations. They are a drag on friends and foes alike.

Tariq | 13 years ago | Reply Most Americans support cutting all relations with Pakistan

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Shock horror | 13 years ago | Reply @Khalid Masood: You may think that Pakistan is fighting in the war against terror. Most of the world thinks that Pakistan is the epic centre of terrorism! Almost every act of terror in the world is traced back to Pakistan. Just do your research and look at the arrests of terrorists, over past ten years, in different parts of the world, United States, Canada, Pakistan, Italy, Spain, United Kingdom, India, wherever. You will then see why the world thinks what it thinks. You may not like it, neither do I, but you cannot deny the facts. So get real, instead of living in the cloud cuckoo land of much of Pakistani media (Excluding The Express Tribune).

Khalid Masood | 13 years ago | Reply @Shock horror: I do not know from where you are talking !!! It is incorrect to call Pakistan a beggar. We lost $ 80 billion plus in this GWOT and got about $ 10 billion only from US.

Shock horror | 13 years ago | Reply @Khalid Masood: Repetitive beggars cannot be choosers under any set of circumstances.

Fahad Raza | 13 years ago | Reply @Paras Vikmani: Newt Gingrich is characterless White supremest he'll make america too hot for asians mexican and chinese alike. Even Republican voters don't like him. so Fat Chance to your hopes as they are not voting on whether to give aid to Pakistan or not . the election will be about their Economy and ways to save it from hitting Rock bottom

Khalid Masood | 13 years ago | Reply You people are spending $ 10 billion every month in Afghanistan alone. And you give us $ 1.5 billion in complete year after hell of scrutiny. Half of it goes back to US as service charges of US experts (so called). Remaining half goes in the drain hole of corruption. That is its END. We are better off without your this AID as it wont trickle down to common man.

Mahmood | 13 years ago | Reply This is just the beginning - after OBL I doubt you will find many/any American voters who would opennly support Pakistan - as election fever heats up be prepared for Pakistan to become a focal point of anger amongst the American public. You were harboring a guy who has killed thousands of American's and many think it's time for some pay back.

Raza | 13 years ago | Reply fine dont give us aid we dont want it.... well just tax every NATO container that crosses our border... do you people know that we charge each nato container 40 rupees to use our port and roads....

Paras Vikmani | 13 years ago | Reply Let he be the President!

IndependentPakistani | 13 years ago | Reply Newt Gingrich can't be taken seriously cause he is really twisted when it comes to standards of integrity. He is also Big in Oil subsidies Keep an eyes on chick all the time and talk about whatever Rupert Murdoch (FOX & Wall street Journal) tells him. As he gets a HUGE sum from them so he pops up every now and the on Sean Hannity, Neli Cavuto shows talking about how Black OBAMA is, how Bad social security is, and how Radical Muslim community in America is right now. Defending the Oil Companies and bank He is the typical "Grand Old Party" White elephant but not bigger than Mike Huckaabe. A straw poll suggest 42% Americans would NEVER vote of him at all beacuse of his twisted character. So why is he getting the lime light these days he raised $32 Million from oil companies and when it comes to republican party its all about the money. Speaking of Republican Primaries, Pakistan bashing is common topic, seeing all of them want cut in spendings and not from military (except Ron Paul) but everywhere in budget right form Social security, education, aid and assistance. Last word Newt Gingrich has a fat chance becoming Presidential candidate at the end but Pakistan bashing will go right till the end.

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