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Pakistan says not to accept any harmful conditions for US aid
Pakistani Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani Saturday said that Pakistan would not accept any conditions harmful for national interests for the US aid."Pakistan is a sovereign country, a self-respecting nation and front line ally in the war against terrorism and will not accept such conditions that are against the interests and stature of the country", the Prime Minister told newsmen in eastern Multan city. According to press reports here on Saturday Pakistan has fully displayed its defiance against the United States by urging the American authorities to not attach "intrusive" conditions to the aid they have offered. "Once again there's talk of fixing Afghanistan and Pakistan. Please do not fix us," said Pakistani ambassador Hussain Haqqani in a joint appearance with his Afghan counterpart at a Washington think-tank, the Atlantic Council. "Mistakes have been committed on all sides. But this lack of trust will be addressed by talking to us, not by beating down on us," said the Pakistani ambassador designated in Washington. Washington has increased aid to Pakistan to USD 7.5 billion under Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement (PEACE) Act of 2009 but has also increased accountability for every penny spent as well as added lists of do's and don'ts. The conditions include no "support to any person or group that conducts violence, sabotage or other activities meant to instill fear or terror in India" and recognizing that certain elements in its (Pakistan) establishment, specially spy agency ISI, have aided and trained such organizations over the past few decades. Also, without directly naming disgraced Pakistani nuclear scientist A.Q. Khan, the bill asks Islamabad to ensure access of US investigators to individuals suspected of engaging in worldwide proliferation of nuclear materials, restrict such individuals from any travel or any other activity that could result in further proliferation and control of the syllabus of these religious seminaries, believed to have been a breeding ground for terrorists. Posted by: Seafarious 2009-04-12 |
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