More strings on Pakistan aid

Committee wants Islamabad to take action against Haqqani network, IED-producers.

WASHINGTON:

The foreign affairs committee of the lower house of the United States Congress voted late on Thursday night on a bill that included provisions attaching several conditions to civilian aid to Pakistan.

The House Foreign Affairs Committee voted to pass the Foreign Relations Authorisation Act for the fiscal year ending September 30, 2012. The bill was passed by a 23-20 vote, after two days of debate amongst a sharply divided committee split on party lines. Most of the Republicans voted in favour of the bill, with most of the Democrats voting against it.

The bill includes new conditions attached to US assistance to Pakistan. According to a draft of the bill, the Secretary of State must testify that Pakistan is co-operating with the United States on a range of issues, from access to Osama bin Laden’s compound in Abbottabad, evidence collected from the site and his family, to action taken against the Haqqani network and the alleged network of cells that manufacture improvised explosive devices (IEDs) in the country.

During the debate on the bill, Democratic party member and Ranking Member of the committee Representative Howard Berman said that in the past few weeks, they have seen reports suggesting that Pakistani intelligence agencies tipped off insurgents that were running IED-producing factories and that the intelligence agency was linked to Saleem Shahzad’s murder.

“For far too long our relationship with Pakistan focused on supporting military and not civilian leaders. Under the previous administration we gave them a blank cheque,” said Berman.

However, said Berman, the United States cannot penalise the Pakistani people for the mistakes of its army. There must be a focus on strengthening Pakistan’s civilian institutions.

Berman also criticised the condition mentioned in the bill that requires Pakistan to issue visas to US counter-terrorism officers, saying that it strengthens the perception in Pakistan that the US is infringing on Pakistan’s sovereignty. Berman said that the issuance of visas is a decision for the Pakistani government to make.

The issuance of visas to US officials has been a bone of contention between the two countries for some months now. After the Raymond Davis affair, the Pakistan Army asked US trainers to leave the country, prompting the US Government to announce that there was a freeze on nearly $500 million in US assistance that was earmarked for military equipment for Pakistan and trainers.

Amongst other cuts to foreign aid, the Foreign Relations Authorisation Act also proposes slashing aid to countries that do not vote with the United States more than 50% of the time in the United Nations’ sessions.

The bill is now due to go to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote, following which the Senate will vote on it before the bill can become a law. The Republican party has a majority in the House of Representatives, whereas the Democratic party leads the Senate.



Published in The Express Tribune, July 23^rd, 2011.