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Anger in Pakistan over strings attached to US aid
NDTV Correspondent, Wednesday September 30, 2009, Islamabad
There is much anger in Pakistan over the US setting conditions to its $ 7.5 billion aid to that country.
 
The US senate has cleared the aid to Pakistan, but it comes with conditions attached. While the Pakistan government is unwilling to accept that America has imposed conditions, Pakistan's Opposition parties are upset and vociferous about it.
 
Reports say some of the conditions attached to the Kerry-Lugar Bill on $7.5bn aid to Pakistan are:
 
Washington will closely monitor how the aid is being used and there will be a six-monthly review of aid disbursement in Pakistan.

The Bill reportedly asks Pakistan to dismantle terrorist groups and close terrorist camps of Lashkar and Jaish in its territory.

It also mentions stopping support to terrorist groups and preventing attacks in neighbouring countries.

The Bill requires the US Secretary of State to certify that Pakistan is working with the US in dismantling supplier networks relating to the acquisition of nuclear weapons and related materials.
 
The Pakistan Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani, has said conditions in the Kerry Lugar Bill have not been imposed on the Pakistani government, but on the US government by the US Congress and so the mention of these conditions in the Bill. But Opposition parties have slammed the government in Pakistan.
 
PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal told the The Daily Times that the 7.5-billion-dollar US assistance was "peanuts"... he said, "If the US government took its people into confidence before giving this aid to Pakistan then why does the Pakistani government hesitate to take its parliament into confidence?"

The PML-Q has also strongly criticized the Bill. PML-Q legislator Marvi Memon, said, "asking Pakistan to cease support - including by any elements within the military or intelligence agencies - to extremist and terrorist groups" in the text of the Kerry-Lugar bill was insulting and sent a wrong message to the world.
 
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Comments
Posted by Kamal Pandya on Oct 01, 2009
Its the right thing to do,its plain to see how Pakistan's loose & corrupt administration is functioning.They havent as yet banned any of the JUD & LET camps despite all proof and pressure from India and US following Mumbai attacks.Whats the guarentee these funds wont trickle down to such terrorist groups by state actors?Its another fact that US always gives aid officially or unofficially to meet its own agenda.They always have alterior motives,first they funded taliban now they want them smashed!
Posted by Anup Bansod on Sep 30, 2009
Why there is anger in that country.every one in Pakistan knows that terror groups are wide spread from Karachi to Lahore and they have been funded by local organisations, indeed they have kiosk to collect money from people. We must welcome US move to monitor it's aid. recently pakistan has taken few steps to curb militancy, which is itself unsatisfactory and biased in nature.At least US can control things which pakistan could not..
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