WASHINGTON: The US State Department on Tuesday defended aid to Pakistan amid calls from senators for a full review of whether economic and military assistance there serves the US national interest.
Aid to Pakistan is the new divisive political buzz-phrase in Washington.
As calls from senators for a full review of economic and military assistance to Pakistan grows to a clamour, the US State Department on Tuesday defended aid to the country.
“We believe our assistance to Pakistan still continues to provide dividends for the American people in trying to grow and strengthen Pakistan’s democratic institutions, boost its economy,” said spokesman Mark Toner.
“In the long term, those are the kinds of things we’re seeking to achieve,” he told reporters a day after Republican Senators John McCain and Lindsey Graham made a call for re-evaluating the aid.
His comments came shortly after US Senate Intelligence Committee Chair Dianne Feinstein said that cutting assistance to Pakistan would be unhelpful but warned that calls to do so had strong congressional support.
“I don’t think that’s useful,” she told reporters, but added “if a bill were to come to the floor which fenced money, it would have a good chance of passing”.
‘Complex relationship’
US lawmakers have expressed mounting anger at Pakistan, accusing military and intelligence officials there of supporting the Haqqani network blamed for attacks on US forces and targets in Afghanistan.
“I can only express my profound disappointment with the relationship” and the “deterioration” in an already troubled alliance that “goes up and down, and up and down, and up and down,” she said.
Bilateral relations slid to a new low last month when Nato air strikes killed 24 Pakistani soldiers on the Afghan border, prompting Pakistan to boycott an international conference in Bonn on Afghanistan’s future.
“This is a very complex relationship,” Toner said, adding that the deadly border incident “was difficult for the Pakistani people, for the Pakistani government”.
“They have reacted in a way that shows how important and how significant this tragedy was for them,” Toner said.
“It’s absolutely essential that Pakistan, Afghanistan and the US, other international partners, work through this and beyond. It’s in all our interests.”
Hawks and doves
While hawks call for slashing aid to Pakistan, there are voices of reconciliation in the US Congress.
A congressman from Ohio called on his government to apologise to Pakistan, and for Nato to pay compensation to the families of 24 soldiers killed in the air strike.
Speaking at an event organised by the Association of Physicians of Pakistani Descent of North America (APPNA) Congressman Dennis J Kucinich, a Republican, said relations with Pakistan was a critical issue. “We need to apologise to the people of Pakistan, Nato must pay reparations to the families of the soldiers.” AFP (WITH ADDITIONAL REPORTING BY HUMA IMTIAZ IN WASHINGTON)
Published in The Express Tribune, December 8th, 2011.
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COMMENTS (19)
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Pakistan is caught in between the hammer and Anvil of the Republicans and Democrats
@Strigon: In Mush's era the US gave over $15 billions to the army govt. Which account did they go? No politicians were in power except the King's Party/PML-Q who's most members are now joining PTI.
Dear forum reader: “Paki”
The anger and frustration are clearly evident from your response. We certainly cannot deny the fact that emotions are running high, and the current situation has pushed our alliance to the brink of collapse. The resentment that is deriving from this tragic incident (November 26th) can easily allow emotions to take over, but it is important to remember that we have come too far and made too many sacrifices, to now just give up on achieving our common objectives in the region. The threat our common enemies pose is of a catastrophic nature, and a break in our alliance would only enhance their ability to cause more destruction. The investigation is still ongoing, and the results will allow us to better analyze the situation. We humbly ask you to be patient and we again express our hope that our nations will recover from this latest tragedy and carry forward their mission against terrorism.
Most Pakistanis want the aid to stop because the nation will be better off in the long term. The aid is nothing compared to the hundreds of billions Pakistan deserves for all of its efforts. If we block the aid, Pakistan can become independent and self sufficient like when sanctions were placed on Pakistan ( India started the nuclearization of South Asia ) and Pakistan learned to make missiles, tanks and airplanes. Pakistan needs to seal the border and work for its own interests. Period.
Does it benefit Pakistan? Not really, since all that aid goes to swizz accounts of our corrupt politicians.
@Mirza. It would be nice if the USA could provide money to Pakistan that benefited the people -- but both the Military and Civilian leaders portray any effort to control what happens to that money as the USA meddling in Pakistani affairs. The end result is that the money which is suppose to help the people and improve the USA image ends up being a source of further antagonism towards the USA. The people of Pakistan don't like the USA - both the Civilian and Military leaders take every opportunity to incite hatred towards the USA - the USA should treat Pakistan accordingly.
@Saif: I must be losing my mind! lolz Regards, Mirza
All news about Pakistan is negative and the American public is finally asking why any support should go your way -- the Republicans are adept politicians and are going use Obama's support of Pakistan as an issue in this election Unfortunately for Obama Pakistan isn't doing anything that would justify his continued support. If Obama loses the election I suspect Pakistan will look back fondly at those days - the Republicans are going to treat Pakistan like they treated the former Soviet Union - a policy of hostility/containment.
I seriously believe that Pakistan can get by famously if it stops relying on US aid, even though the first few years will be difficult. However, sustained strengthening of democratic institutions will definitely make Pakistan self-reliant to a great degree, provided we get clean people who actually fulfill their role in this representative democracy. @Mirza: This is the very first time something sane and balanced, though debatable, has come forth from you. Kudos!
no one in Pakistan needs this 'supposedly' aid, which are 1/20th of the bills Pakistan has to pay for what Pakistan is done for US adventures. It is now time for US to pay its bills ($60 billion) that Pakistan lost due to being forced into this unlawful war and invasion.
cutting aid or entirely stoping it is In pakistan's interest and will make our policies independent and un biased. this will also help us on doing things on are own and will let us learn lessons for future diplomacy and friends
@Malik: It's due to no official consensus being taken. That's one thing that annoys me even about the democracy in the US. If they took votes on important actions, the value of a vote in all citizen's eyes would go up greatly and give everyone a true voice rather than just crossing their fingers in front of a ballot box once every so often. People who are elected are basically receiving consent to be the voice of the voters. But, there's no mechanism to take it back efficiently, or one that binds someone to conditional power beyond the time they're voted in so that there is incentive to stand by their words. It's not the original trade/agreement they intended, so they shouldn't have to be stuck with something they never wanted in the first place. It also makes politicians complacent. Complacent politicians are dangerous.
Don't need your AID, just pay your Bills and local taxes in full, in advance.
AID..???? what aid man..in fact Americans need aid for the treatment of their mental and psychological disorders. America is gone , no more superpower, since 11 years US is in Afghanistan. What they have achieved...???
Neither the public in US nor public here wants Pak-US cooperation but still its going on. and yet both countries think that they are democratic. Isn't it amazing?
Ok Tribune here's a Q, what is the total value of Us Aid to Pak say for the current year?
Very wise comments by your Senators to cut-off aid to Pakistan. This is important for your deficit cutting and boosting your own economy to provide jobs. It only makes our policy planners increasingly depend on handouts and callous to the needs of our citizens. Salams to Pakistan
With all their expensive war toys and WMD, Pakistan only needs aid in education, healthcare, electricity, nutrition, agriculture and likes. All aid should be in the form of goods with complete oversight. This way not only would the aid reach the poor masses but also the charges of corruption would lose its meaning. Once people of Pakistan see the benefits all the anti American propaganda would become useless. In the past all US aid has been military or to the dictators and never reached the masses. This is the main reason common people do not care about the US aid. Pakistanis are not thankless people, once they see their lives changing for better due to the US aid, they would appreciate that.
Poor Pakistanis. They are falling into a US trap whose way of managing their own people is ruthless. They have no concept of welfare - just look at their own healthcare system. Ask Hilary Clinton who once was a champion of her people (trying to reform healthcare). Pakistanis should debate their own future.