Pak hopes Obama will make suitable amendments in Kerry Lugar Bill India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Pakistan has reiterated that it is not bound to accept the 'stringed' Kerry Lugar Bill and is expecting that the US would make suitable amendments in the Bill in view of the large scale criticism it has received in the country. Addressing media persons during a regular press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit said the Kerry Lugar Bill was not a bilateral agreement, so it was not necessary for the Pakistan government to agree with all of its clauses. "Let me make it clear to you all that Pakistan is not bound to accept it.We will not compromise on sovereignty of the country while Pakistan's national interests will be defended at any cost," The Nation quoted Basit, as saying. Admitting that the Pakistan Army has also objected to the bill, Basit said the Obama Administration is fully aware about the situation and Islamabad hopes that the conditionalities attached with the bill, which are against the country's sovereignty, would be revoked. "We hope that Obama administration, keeping in view Pakistan 's reservations regarding national security and sovereignty, will make suitable amendments in the Kerry Lugar bill," he said. Meanwhile, Presidential spokesman Farhatullah Babar has said that the ongoing condemnation of the Kerry-Lugar bill is actually a propaganda against the 'democratic government'. Babar said the criticism is part of a conspiracy hatched to malign Asif Ali Zardari's image. "A bill was also passed in former president Pervez Musharraf's regime and strong words were also used in it too. Neither the then President nor Prime Minister had signed that bill. It is in fact an attempt to malign President Zardari," he said.