Tribune Take: Fertilizers don't kill people, people kill people
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.
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Aid cuts don't hurt people. People hurt people. Stop cribbing.
It's pretty clear you won't take on the people who use the explosives so the USA wants you to at least try and control the chemicals that are used to make the explosives - small request and one that any responsible country would do without being asked let alone paid to do.
He is absolutely right when saying "ammonium natrate doesn' kill people but people kill people" The problem of the relationship of US with Pakistan goes far deeper. Pakistan has to show a sincere desire to go after the militant/terrorists groups and individuals and show it means it. And abandon its policy of using them as proxies to further the goal of strategic depth and mean it. Sure there will be some failures but the policy should be clear cut and unequivocal. If China is such a favoured ally of Pakistan, why not ask China for the shortfall instead of wailing about the lost aid? Skeptics may wonder if the US money is really being used to line the pockets of Pakistani civil/military leadership?
I dont know who told American lawmakers that Ammonium Nitrate is used as a fertilizer in Pakistan. The common fertilizers are Nitro Phos, Calcuim Ammonium Nitrate, Urea and Di Ammonium Phosphate. I think people reprocess them to get Ammonium Nitrate.