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US Senate approves Pak defence Bill with 'India-centric' riders over balance of power in region |
The US Senate has approved a defence
bill for Pakistan with added restrictions that the military assistance being provided
to that country should not 'upset the balance of power' in the region. The added
restrictions clearly indicate that the aid being provided to Pakistan should be
utilized exactly for the purpose it is sent for, and not for piling up arms to
threaten neighbour country- India. The new limits mentioned in the bill include
efforts to track where the US military hardware sent to Pakistan ends up. Following
the Senate's approval the bill has been sent to President Barack Obama to be signed
into law. Addressing the Senate before the approval of the legislation, one of
the sponsors of the bill, Bob Corker, said the clauses mentioned in the defence
bill aim to ensure that the US taxpayer's money is being spent for the right cause.
"This provision simply ensures that the American peoples' tax dollars are being
used for their intended purpose," The News quoted Corker, as saying. Co-author
of the bill, Senator Robert Menendez highlighted that Pakistan's fight against
extremism was also important for Washington. "That fight is important to our own
national security, and we have to ensure that our support for it is not being
squandered or diverted," said Menendez, a Democrat from New Jersey. The aid is
likely to create more furor in Pakistan, where both the Army and the civilan government
are fuming over the 'stern' clauses stitched with the Kerry- Lugar bill, which
triples non-military aid to Islamabad to 7.5 billion dollars over the next five
years. The measures, stated in the new defence bill, require the US secretaries
of state and defence to certify that 'whether such reimbursement is consistent
with the national security interest of the United States and will not adversely
impact the balance of power in the region.' The bill also says that the Pentagon
must certify that Islamabad is involved in a 'concerted' fight against Al-Qaeda,
the Taliban, and other extremist groups before it can actually receive the massive
aid package. It also directs the Pentagon to keep a check on how Pakistan uses
the military hardware being provided to it in order to 'prohibit the re-transfer
of such defence articles and defence services without the consent of the United
States. |
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