 "US defence bill pledges $900 million to Pakistan, but with a condition")
The US House of Representatives has passed a defence bill that pledges $900 million in economic and other assistance to Pakistan, a significant portion of which is dependent of a Pentagon certification that the country is taking demonstrable steps against the dreaded Haqqani Network.
The US National Defence Authorisation Act for fiscal year 2017 was passed in the House of Representa-tives yesterday.
The bill limits the overall amount available for reimbursement to $1.1 billion, of which $900 million is available for reimbursement to Pakistan.
It extends Congressional notification and certification requirements regarding reimbursements to Pakistan. The bill specifies that certain reimbursements to Pakistan are ineligible for a national security waiver unless Department of Defence makes specified certifications regarding the activities of Pakistan with respect to the Haqqani Network.
According to Dawn newspaper, the bill conditions $450 million from this assistance to a certification. This year the amount was $300 million, which was not released after Defence Secretary Ashton Carter refused to certify in Pakistan’s favour.
The bill is schedule for a vote in the Senate next week. Since it is a consensus bill, it is unlikely to face any opposition.
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The bill notes that “the United States and Pakistan continue to have many critical shared interests, both economic- and security-related, which could be the foundation for a positive and mutually beneficial partnership.” In a conference report, which combines the House and Senate versions of a legislation, Chairman of the Senate Armed Services Committee John McCain had underlined the importance of a continued relationship between the United States and Pakistan.
He noted that the bill “refocuses security assistance to Pakistan on activities that directly support US national security interests”.
Haqqani ‘greatest’ threat
Meanwhile, a top US commander based in Afghanistan said that the Pakistan-based Haqqani Network continues to pose “greatest” threat to American troops in the war-torn country.
“The Haqqanis still pose the greatest threat to Americans and to our coalition partners and to the Afghans,” General John Nicholson, commander of US and NATO forces in Afghanistan told reporters during a news conference here.
“The Haqqanis hold five American citizens hostage right now. I think this is worth remembering as we think about the Haqqani Network. They remain a principal concern of ours. And they do enjoy sanctuary inside Pakistan,” Nicholson said during a Pentagon news conference.
Nicholson said he is looking forward to meeting the new Pakistani Chief of Army Staff, General Qamar Javed Bajwa. “I’ll meet him upon my return to the region here next week,” he said.
“There are many areas of mutual cooperation with the Pakistanis with respect to the border, our joint efforts against terrorism and so forth. So, we’re looking forward to working closely with them going forward,” he said.