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Cong panel approves tripling aid to Pak, drops India reference
Washington (PTI): A three-fold increase in US non-military aid to Pakistan to a whopping USD 1.5 billion annually was approved on Thursday by a key Congressional Committee on the condition that it would not allow terrorist activity from its soil against "neighbouring countries" without mentioning India by name.
The original bill had insisted that Pakistan would not let its territory to be used for launching terrorist attacks against and not support any group that indulges in terrorist activities against India but dropped a direct reference to India keeping in mind Pakistan's sensitivities.
The Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement (PEACE) Act 2009 was approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee by the voice vote, following about an hour of debate, replacing the word India with "neighbouring countries".
Congressional observers said the word "India" had to be deleted because the Obama Administration told the lawmakers that this could be counter-productive to their overall objective given that Pakistan establishment is allergic to it.
While in the original bill, the US President was asked to give a presidential determination about the progress made by Pakistan in preventing cross border attacks into India, the PEACE law passed by the House committee seeks presidential determination on the progress made by Islamabad in "preventing cross border attacks into neighbouring countries."
The Hindu News Update Service
Washington (PTI): A three-fold increase in US non-military aid to Pakistan to a whopping USD 1.5 billion annually was approved on Thursday by a key Congressional Committee on the condition that it would not allow terrorist activity from its soil against "neighbouring countries" without mentioning India by name.
The original bill had insisted that Pakistan would not let its territory to be used for launching terrorist attacks against and not support any group that indulges in terrorist activities against India but dropped a direct reference to India keeping in mind Pakistan's sensitivities.
The Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement (PEACE) Act 2009 was approved by the House Foreign Affairs Committee by the voice vote, following about an hour of debate, replacing the word India with "neighbouring countries".
Congressional observers said the word "India" had to be deleted because the Obama Administration told the lawmakers that this could be counter-productive to their overall objective given that Pakistan establishment is allergic to it.
While in the original bill, the US President was asked to give a presidential determination about the progress made by Pakistan in preventing cross border attacks into India, the PEACE law passed by the House committee seeks presidential determination on the progress made by Islamabad in "preventing cross border attacks into neighbouring countries."
The Hindu News Update Service