Tribune Take: Fertilizers don't kill people, people kill people

Khurram Baig discusses conditions laid out by US lawmakers to curtail the flow of ammonium nitrate into Afghanistan.

In today’s episode of the Tribune Take, we take a look at the US Congressional panel's decision to freeze $700 million in aid to Pakistan in a measure that aims to stop the spread of IEDs in Afghanistan, raw material for which, US lawmakers say, is smuggled from Pakistan.

Khurram Baig, Business Editor The Express Tribune, says a potential cut of $700 million in military aid to Pakistan from the United States amounts to nearly 30% of military assistance given to Pakistan. He says this cut will impact Pakistani military budgets and a growing perception of worsening ties between the two nations could further hurt the country in terms of investment as well.

Baig discusses the conditions laid out by US lawmakers to curtail the flow of ammonium nitrate, a common fertilizer produced in Pakistan. He says that this issue is about strengthening border security to control the flow of this fertilizer to Afghanistan and not about stopping the production of the product.

He says the fertilizer is essential to the country because Pakistan's economy is largely dependant on its agricultural sector.

Read Khurram Baig's articles here.

The Tribune Take daily news web show will appear on the tribune.com.pk home page.

The Take will feature in-depth interviews and analysis with editors and reporters who are covering the major stories, exploring front page events and major ledes. The news analysis covers the way The Express Tribune examines a story, how we cover it and why.