New York: By a roll call vote of 234 to 185, the House of Representatives passed a bill to give more aid to Pakistan but with strong conditions.
According to the House bill, the Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement Act or the PEACE Act says:
- America must have a detailed account and proof of how Pakistan spends the money
There is no mention of India specifically, but the bill clearly says:
- Pakistan not support any person or group that conducts terror activities in Pakistan's neighboring countries.
Also, that Pakistan provide " direct access to Pakistani nationals" connected to proliferation networks.
The Bill also puts the onus on the US President, who is pushing Congress to approve Pakistani Security Aid. Assistance could stop unless Barack Obama annually certifies Pakistan is cooperating and making progress on all fronts.
Also, according to the House, only an elected civilian government should receive US aid.
The House Chairman has defended the measure which has drawn objections from the Obama administration as too restrictive saying:
"We are simply asking Pakistan to follow through with the commitments it has already made and in the process, we lay down an important marker that Congress will no longer provide a blank check," said Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Now that it has passed through the House, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations has to vote on its version of the bill, which could happen next week. But before the bill can be signed into law, both the Senate and the House have to agree on one bill, which could prove difficult as some members of the Senate believe restrictions on aid to Pakistan are counter productive.
President Obama is strongly in favor of increasing aid to Pakistan and pressure from white House has already leaded to a softening of wording in the House bill. Just how quickly this bill passes through the US congress will give us an indication of just how much of a priority Pakistan is for the new Obama administration.