08:07 AM CDT on Thursday, October 8, 2009
Saeed Shah, McClatchy Newspapers
ISLAMABAD, Pakistan – Pakistan's military said Wednesday that it has "serious concern" over conditions attached to a $1.5 billion-a-year U.S. aid package approved by Congress last month, signaling a serious break with Washington as the U.S. government seeks a stepped-up effort against al-Qaedaand Taliban fighters.
The dispute also pits Pakistan's powerful army against the fragile civilian government of the Pakistan Peoples Party, which has championed the U.S. assistance deal. Pakistan's political opposition also opposes the aid legislation, which awaits President Barack Obama's signature.
The aid bill was meant to improve the U.S. image in Pakistan. It requires monitoring and certification of Pakistan's action against terrorism, and it requires the country to work to prevent nuclear proliferation and to show that its military isn't interfering in politics.
"Everyone wants aid. The problem is the conditions, which are tantamount to holding Pakistan hostage to U.S. designs," said Marvi Memon, an opposition member of parliament. "This is a complete affront to national sovereignty."
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told lawmakers that the U.S. legislation was "not binding on us" and that the army was "working under the civilian government."
The furor undermines the basis of the Obama administration's Pakistan policy, which aims to bolster the civilian government, provide aid to ordinary people in Pakistan, and push for action against Islamic extremism. In contrast, the Bush administration backed a military leader in Pakistan and focused aid on the military.
The Pakistani military has said that within days it will launch an offensive in Pakistan's South Waziristan region, the heart of the nation's Islamic insurgency and a refuge for Afghan insurgents and Osama bin Laden's terrorist group. Washington has long sought such action.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the Pakistanis should not see the conditions attached to the U.S. aid as diluting its authority.
"We are stewards of U.S. taxpayer funds. We have to build in certain consultation mechanisms, monitoring mechanisms," he said. "These are in no way intended to impinge on Pakistan's sovereignty."
On a visit to Washington, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, speaking for the country's civilian political leadership, played down concerns over the aid bill and said most Pakistanis see it as a "very strong signal" of long-term U.S. backing.
Spokesmen for the bill's Senate sponsors, John Kerry, D-Mass., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said that Congress won't revisit the bill and that it's on course to be signed by Obama.
Saeed Shah,
McClatchy Newspapers
The aid bill was meant to improve the U.S. image in Pakistan. It requires monitoring and certification of Pakistan's action against terrorism, and it requires the country to work to prevent nuclear proliferation and to show that its military isn't interfering in politics.
"Everyone wants aid. The problem is the conditions, which are tantamount to holding Pakistan hostage to U.S. designs," said Marvi Memon, an opposition member of parliament. "This is a complete affront to national sovereignty."
Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani told lawmakers that the U.S. legislation was "not binding on us" and that the army was "working under the civilian government."
The furor undermines the basis of the Obama administration's Pakistan policy, which aims to bolster the civilian government, provide aid to ordinary people in Pakistan, and push for action against Islamic extremism. In contrast, the Bush administration backed a military leader in Pakistan and focused aid on the military.
The Pakistani military has said that within days it will launch an offensive in Pakistan's South Waziristan region, the heart of the nation's Islamic insurgency and a refuge for Afghan insurgents and Osama bin Laden's terrorist group. Washington has long sought such action.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly said the Pakistanis should not see the conditions attached to the U.S. aid as diluting its authority.
"We are stewards of U.S. taxpayer funds. We have to build in certain consultation mechanisms, monitoring mechanisms," he said. "These are in no way intended to impinge on Pakistan's sovereignty."
On a visit to Washington, Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi, speaking for the country's civilian political leadership, played down concerns over the aid bill and said most Pakistanis see it as a "very strong signal" of long-term U.S. backing.
Spokesmen for the bill's Senate sponsors, John Kerry, D-Mass., and Richard Lugar, R-Ind., said that Congress won't revisit the bill and that it's on course to be signed by Obama.
Saeed Shah,
McClatchy Newspapers
No comments:
Post a Comment