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India-Pakistan
Punjab cancels six US aid agreements
2011-05-21
[Dawn] Pakistain's most populous province has cancelled six aid agreements with the United States in protest over the US raid that killed the late Osama bin Laden,
... who can now be reached at RFD Boneyard...
its law minister said on Friday.
I guess we'll just have to get by without any aid from Punjab... Oh... Wait.
Pakistain hailed bin Laden's death as a big step against militancy but was incensed by the raid in a garrison town not far from the capital, saying it was a violation of illusory sovereignty.

The operation severely strained already uneasy ties between the United States and Pakistain, whose cooperation is needed to stabilise Afghanistan.

"We have cancelled six MOUs (memorandums of understanding) with the United States in the fields of health, education and solid waste management," said Rana Sanaullah, Law Minister of Punjab, the country's political nerve centre.

"We have told their concerned departments about our decision. This is our protest against the Abbottabad incident."

The Pakistain Mohammedan League (PML-N) opposition party, which rules Punjab, has called for a review of the country's ties with Washington, urging the central government to reduce reliance on foreign aid.

A PML-N front man said Punjab had been expected to get 20 billion rupees ($232.55 million) for welfare projects in the next three years from the United States.

"This will not have much effect as the amount is quite small and it (the decision) has not been taken by the federal government but instead the provincial government," said Asif Qureshi, analyst at Invisor Securities, a brokerage firm based in Bloody Karachi.

Bin Laden's presence in Pakistain has led to calls by some US congressmen to cut aid to the country.

Pakistain is struggling to revive its economy, which depends heavily on an $11 billion International Monetary fund loan to stay afloat.

To get the remaining tranches of the loan, which was secured in 2008, Pakistain must implement politically unpopular reforms such as broadening its tax base and reforming the energy sector.

One of the lowest tax-to-GDP ratio in the world of around 10 per cent has increased Pakistain's reliance on foreign funds and loans, even for development projects.

Pakistain received $20 billion in US military and economic aid in the past 20 years.
Posted by:Fred

#5  Guess they showed us, huh?
Okay. Now really piss them off and tell them we'll give it to the evil hindoos instead.
Posted by: tu3031   2011-05-21 21:43  

#4  gonna take us a couple years to revise our MOU's to your satisfaction....
Posted by: Frank G   2011-05-21 20:31  

#3  Lets see... "We have cancelled six MOUs (memorandums of understanding) with the United States in the fields of health, education and solid waste management

Ok Fine by me. Let disease run amok, stay stupid and live in shit piled up to your neck.
Posted by: OldSpook   2011-05-21 19:58  

#2  I think it's delightful that Punjab is prepared to go it alone on health, solid waste management (two closely related subjects), and education. They have, after all, been doing so well in these areas thus far.
Posted by: trailing wife   2011-05-21 17:40  

#1  Are they more gutted that we violated their sovereignty or we killed their hero/cash cow?
Posted by: Paul D   2011-05-21 06:45  

00:00