Friday, October 02, 2009

Kerry-Lugar Bill - Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act of 2009

US Congress clears Pakistan aid
BBC, October 1, 2009

The US Congress has cleared the Kerry-Lugar bill which triples non-military aid to Pakistan through an annual outlay of $1.5bn for five years.

Under the bill, the secretary of state will have to certify periodically that Pakistan is working to dismantle the illegal nuclear proliferation networks.

The US also has to certify that Pakistan is no longer supporting militant groups.

The aid money will be spent on various development projects.

The bill was okayed by the House of Representatives on Wednesday night. It was approved by Senate last week and must still be signed by President Barack Obama.

'Co-operate'

According to Pakistani media reports, several conditions have been imposed on Pakistan to ensure the aid goes where it is intended.

The secretary of state has to certify that Pakistan is continuing to co-operate with the United States in efforts to dismantle supplier networks relating to the acquisition of nuclear weapons-related materials.

Islamabad also has to provide information from or access to Pakistani nationals associated with such networks.

Pakistan also has to prove that it has strengthened counter-terrorism and anti-money laundering laws; and that its security establishment is not subverting the political or judicial processes.

The aid money will not be directly handed over to Pakistan.

It will be spent on different development projects through the US embassy in Islamabad.

According to reports, a special unit is being established in the embassy, which will maintain accounts of the aid spent and strictly monitor it.

Recently, the US said it had provided more than $3bn in aid to Pakistan since President Zardari came to power a year ago.

The money was given in "combined security, economic and development assistance", US officials said.

In May this year, the US announced it was sending $110m (£71m) in aid to Pakistan to help it cope with the refugee crisis caused by violence between troops and the Taliban in the north-west.

For complete text of the final Kerry Lugar bill, click here

For Varying Views about the Aid package, see:
Ambassador Haqqani says Pakistan can live with Kerry -Lugar bill conditions - APP
Kerry-Lugar Bill: the fruition of 62 years - Mosharraf Zaidi
Kerry-Lugar: bill or document of surrender? - The News
Debate on Kerry-Lugar Bill before hand: Gilani - Dawn
Deciphering the US aid bill - Cyril Almeida, Dawn
State Dept. rethinks how to deliver aid to Pakistan - USA Today

3 comments:

Anonymous said...

Dear Sir , i am a great fan of your analysis on differnt channels but it was a bit amazing and sad to hear you that you are also oopposing this bill.Yes , it is not perfect and ideal , but considering economic situtaion , what else we have left with.
Regards

Saad Khan

Hassan Abbas said...

Thank you. I am not opposed to the bill as such. I am only against the mention of some issues in the bill. In my view, the way it is drafted will create unbridgeable differences between army and the political leadership and consequently democracy will be the victim.
Best,
HA

Musaafir said...

This bill is not some form of charity that is being handed out to Pakistan. It is payment for a service that Pakistan is expected to perform to further the interests of the US in the region. Kerry and/or Lugar, even though representing uncle Sam in this endeavor, are not the mamay (uncles) of the Pakistani people, and hence do not have the best interest of Pakistanis in their caring hearts. They have devised a deal which is a payment for the blood and tears, the people of Pakistan are spilling for America’s strategic interests. Nothing less and nothing more.

Read more: http://www.raastah.com