Washington:
A key US Senator and architect of the Congressional bill, which doles out USD 7.5 billion to Pakistan in the next five years, said that "no conditions" have been imposed on Islamabad in lieu of the non-military aid.
"There is no conditionality whatsoever in this legislation (Kerry-Lugar bill) with respect to civilian assistance and the economic assistance that is provided. No conditionality. It is unfortunate the bill has been characterised in some quarters in ways that are just not accurate," Kerry said.
Kerry, Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and its ranking member Richard Lugar have authored a bill that pledges USD 7.5 billion of civilian aid to Pakistan for the next five years.
The bill passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously has been sent to the White House for the US President Barack Obama to sign it into law.
"This bill should be seen as a real sign of friendship of the American people towards people of Pakistan, not towards the government specifically," Kerry told reporters at the Capitol Hill on Tuesday after he and other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee met the visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
"There is no conditionality whatsoever in this legislation (Kerry-Lugar bill) with respect to civilian assistance and the economic assistance that is provided. No conditionality. It is unfortunate the bill has been characterised in some quarters in ways that are just not accurate," Kerry said.
Kerry, Chairman of Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and its ranking member Richard Lugar have authored a bill that pledges USD 7.5 billion of civilian aid to Pakistan for the next five years.
The bill passed by both the House of Representatives and the Senate unanimously has been sent to the White House for the US President Barack Obama to sign it into law.
"This bill should be seen as a real sign of friendship of the American people towards people of Pakistan, not towards the government specifically," Kerry told reporters at the Capitol Hill on Tuesday after he and other members of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee met the visiting Pakistani Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi.
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