US to suspend millions in aid to the Pakistani military

[Parthy]

Krishna welcomes US aid suspension to Pakistan


NEW DELHI: The news about US suspending military aid worth $800 million to Pakistan was greeted with understandable excitement in India with foreign minister S M Krishna saying that New Delhi welcomed this development. Krishna suggested that arming Pakistan further could only disturb the "equilibrium" in the region.

"With reference to the special circumstances between India and Pakistan and how India has consistently taken the view that it is not desirable that this region had to be heavily armed by the US which will upset the equilibrium in the region itself. To that extent India welcomes this step," Krishna said.

Krishna was quick to add though that the US should also take note of the fact that India was doing all it could to normalize relations with Pakistan. "Simultaneously, the US must take note of the fact that we are working in a very committed manner to normalise our relations with Pakistan to reduce trust deficit, and efforts are on," he added.

The suspended aid, which is about one-third of the $2.7 billion in annual US military assistance to Pakistan, includes about $300 million meant to reimburse Pakistan for some of the costs incurred for deploying more than 100,000 soldiers along the Afghan border to combat terrorism. It also comprises millions of dollars in training assistance and military hardware.

Krishna said he was expecting his Pakistani counterpart to visit the country around the end of this month to carry forward the dialogue process. He also condemned the suicide attacks in Islamabad on Monday. "If this is an attack by terrorists or terror-oriented organisations, then India condemns all such attempts. India condemns terror attacks across the globe," he said.



Krishna welcomes US aid suspension to Pakistan - The Times of India

 

[Parthy]

Pervez Musharraf criticizes loss of US aid


Former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf said on Monday that the Obama administration's suspension of $800 million in US aid to the Pakistani military is not in the interest of either nation and could hamper anti-terrorism efforts.

"We are weakening the country and the army," Musharraf said during an address at Rice University's Baker Institute of Public Policy. "It will have a negative effect certainly on the Pakistan army, on its capability to fight terrorism."

President Barack Obama's chief of staff, William Daley, confirmed over the weekend the withholding of the cash intended for the Pakistani military. He said while the strained relationship between the United States and Pakistan must be made "to work over time," until it does, "we'll hold back some of the money that the American taxpayers are committed to give" to the country's powerful military forces.

Musharraf said he was saddened by the "present environment of confrontation almost between Pakistan and the United States, between the two armies, the two intelligence services."

"It saddens me because I remember when there was trust," he said, pointing to what he said were his strong relationships with President George W Bush and then-secretary of state Colin Powell.

"I could pick up the phone," he said. "The line was always open. I wonder now if that degree of communication exists."

He said there was a "trust deficit" and a "confidence deficit" between the countries and the restoration of better relations depended on leadership and straight talk, beginning with Pakistani assurances to Washington that there was no complicity with providing haven for Osama bin Laden.

The former military ruler's tenure as president included the years Osama bin Laden apparently moved to the compound in Abbottabad, home of Pakistan's military academy, where he was killed May 2 by US commandos during a covert raid.

As he has in the past, Musharraf on Monday denied he or Pakistan's domestic spy services knew of bin Laden's location, at least during his time in power.

"For two years, I can for sure, with 100 percent guarantee, whether you believe it or not, I didn't know," he said.

As for the possibility of the army or the Pakistani intelligence service hiding that knowledge from him, he said: "No. Absolutely zero. They are my people. I commanded them. How could they hide from me?"

He said a step in easing the rift between the nations would start with the US taking into concern "our sensitivities, our own honor and dignity as a sovereign nation."

While Americans were angered at the possibility Pakistan was providing bin Laden cover, Pakistanis were enraged over what they saw as American violation of their sovereignty in the raid on bin Laden.

On Sunday, Daley acknowledged much the same, saying the decision to suspend military aid resulted from the increasing estrangement between the US and its sometimes unreliable partner in the fight against terrorism.

"Obviously there's still a lot of pain that the political system in Pakistan is feeling by virtue of the raid that we did to get Osama bin Laden," Daley said.

The US long has been unhappy with Pakistan's evident lack of enthusiasm for carrying the fight against terrorists to its tribal areas, as well as its covert support for the Taliban and anti-Indian extremist groups. A senior US official has confirmed the aid suspension came in response to the Pakistani army's decision to significantly reduce the number of visas for US military trainers.

Musharraf said the start of any trust would begin "at the top level."

"At the people's level, I think gradually it will take time and be restored," he said.

Musharraf took power in Pakistan in a 1999 coup and held it until stepping down in 2008 after months of protests and election losses among his supporters. He also drew criticism for his ouster of a supreme court judge, an action he defended Monday as constitutional.

Since his departure from Pakistan, he has been living in Dubai and London and has been making speaking appearances at colleges and universities.

He has said he'll return to his homeland no later than next March to resume his political ambitions and is considering a presidential run in 2013, which he called "the mother of all elections."

"I am very conscious of this," he said. "I am trying to contribute my bit to bring change about. We need to have determination and if it's in Pakistan's destiny to rise as a moderate progressive Islamic state."

He said a return to Pakistan would be for the nation's sake, not his.

"I'm very happy on the lecture circuit," he said. "They give me good money. I can live anywhere. As far as I'm concerned I'm comfortable."

Musharraf also has been dogged by allegations he was part of a conspiracy to assassinate ex-Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto in late 2007. He did not address that Monday in Houston but in the past has denied any involvement.


Pervez Musharraf criticizes loss of US aid - The Times of India

 

[Parthy]

US aid cut: Pakistan threatens to pull back troops from Afghan border

Pakistan on Tuesday threatened to pull back its troops from the border with Afghanistan, as defence minister Chaudhry Ahmad Mukhtar said his country could not afford to keep forces deployed there following the suspension of US military assistance.

Reacting to the Obama Administration's decision to suspend $800 million aid to Pakistan, Mukhtar said this would force the country to pull back troops from nearly 1,100 check posts set up along the Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The check post were set up as part of understanding with Washington to beef up security in the restive tribal belt.

The minister disclosed that $300 million of the suspended aid was specifically meant for troops serving in this troubled region.

Claiming that the proposed US move would sabotage efforts against the Taliban and al-Qaida in the region, he said "his money (US military aid) is not for fighting the war, but is money that we have spent already".

Mukhtar told 'Express 24/7' news channel that Pakistan could not afford to keep its military out in the mountains or in border areas for a long period of time.

"The next step would be that the government or the armed forces will pull back the forces from the border areas," he said.

On recent spurt of claims by Kabul and Islamabad on stepped up cross-border militant ambushes, Mukhtar warned that if theses raids continued there could be cross-border fighting.

Referring to the controversy over Shamsi airbase, reportedly used by US drones, Mukhtar said the US, through the UAE, had been allowed the use of the airbase for non-lethal weaponry, such as unarmed drones, and as a logistics support site.

"The understanding was that the drones would fly from Shamsi base but only for surveillance...They were not supposed to be lethal and the next thing we knew they were using it for military attacks," he said.

Mukhtar said this problem could be resolved if the US and Pakistan came to some "arrangement".

He said the Pakistan government has asked American military trainers to leave the country because they were seen to be connected with Raymond Davis, a CIA contractor who was arrested earlier this year in Lahore after he shot and killed two armed Pakistani men.

Mukhtar said the government had asked the American trainers to leave because they "broke the rules".

Responding to the American assertion that al-Qaeda chief Ayman al-Zawahiri was in Pakistan's tribal areas, Mukhtar said hoped that the US would not act on its own like the May 2 raid against Osama bin Laden in the garrison city of Abbottabad.

"This time round, we hope the Americans will work with the Pakistanis and share their intelligence," he said.

This falls in line with the request by the chief military spokesman for the US to share information with Pakistan on terrorist leaders believed to be in the country.



US aid cut: Pakistan threatens to pull back troops from Afghan border - The Times of India

 

[Parthy]

^^^^ No Comments... Discussed much about Pakistan official mentalities and strategies to beg money....

 

[Parthy]

China pledges support for Pakistan

China pledged its support for close ally Pakistan on Tuesday, after the United States announced it would suspend $800 million worth of security aid to Islamabad.

"Pakistan is an important country in South Asia. The stability and development of Pakistan is closely connected with the peace and stability of South Asia," foreign ministry spokesman Hong Lei said.

"China has always provided assistance to Pakistan, helping it improve people's livelihood and realise the sustainable development of its economy and society. China will continue to do so in the future."

US President Barack Obama's chief of staff, William Daley, announced in a television interview on Sunday that the United States had decided to withhold almost a third of its annual $2.7 billion security assistance to Islamabad.

The move has plunged relations between Islamabad and Washington -- already rocky after US commandos killed al-Qaida leader Osama bin Laden in May on Pakistani soil -- to a new low.

But it was welcomed by India, which has long accused Pakistan of providing shelter to militant groups and has pushed the global community -- the United States in particular -- to censure Islamabad.

China, however, is one of Pakistan's closest allies and is also its main arms supplier -- a situation that India has also expressed concern about.


China pledges support for Pakistan - The Times of India

 

[sanjay]

Now Pak Army claims it doesn't want US aid:

Pakistan-U.S. rift deepens over military aid - World Watch - CBS News

 

[Parthy]

After aid cut, US steps up drone strikes


At least 45 suspected militants were killed by missiles launched by US drone aircraft in Pakistan's northwest, local intelligence officials said on Tuesday, one of the largest death tolls to date in the controversial air bombing campaign.

Coming a day after Washington announced an $800 million delay in military assistance amid worsening US-Pakistan ties, the attacks could exacerbate tension between the two uneasy allies in the war against militants.

The attacks started on Monday night, when remotely piloted drones fired nine missiles into a militant compound and at a vehicle in North Waziristan, killing 25 suspected insurgents, local intelligence officials said.

Another strike hours later in South Waziristan killed five suspected militants. Then on Tuesday morning, a drone fired two missiles at another compound in North Waziristan. "The missiles were fired as militants sitting in a vehicle were entering into a house used by them as a hideout," an intelligence official said, adding that 15 militants were killed in the strike. "The house is on fire."

There was no independent confirmation of the death tolls, and militants often dispute official death figures. It was the second-largest death toll in a day in the unacknowledged US drone campaign against militants in Pakistan's northwest. In June 2009, about 70 suspected militants were killed in a drone attack in South Waziristan.

Most of the strikes have been concentrated in South and, especially, North Waziristan, mountainous tribal regions on the Afghan border that shelter militant groups friendly with Pakistan but who are attacking US and Nato forces in Afghanistan.

"Of course the number of casualties is very high and it will add to the already strained relationship," a
senior Pakistani security official said.

Washington has been pushing Pakistan to mount an offensive against these militant sanctuaries for years, but Pakistan has resisted, saying it must consolidate its gains against Taliban militants elsewhere first. The United States has stepped up drone attacks in response to Pakistan's perceived recalcitrance.


After aid cut, US steps up drone strikes - The Times of India

 

[sanjay]

After Aid Cut, Pak Comes Quickly Crawling Back:

Why Pakistan wants to keep that $800 million in aid, after all - CSMonitor.com

Pak generals can't do without their champagne money

 

[Yusuf]

What will the fanboys in Pak say now after saying they didn't want US money and were happy that their country's army said they don't need it?

 

[Virendra]

Oh they want it. And they've resorted to their ever effective blackmail techniques. Read this:
Pakistan might withdraw border troops, defense minister says
Pakistan might withdraw border troops, defense minister says - The Washington Post

...Pakistan's defense minister has said that the country might withdraw thousands of troops from its volatile border areas in response to a suspension of U.S. military aid...

A Pakistani army spokesman, Maj. Gen. Athar Abbas, said it would be "inappropriate" to comment on Mukhtar's statement.
-------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------------

The so called reputed God like pakistani army obviously cannot say openly that it can't fight terrorists with even partial withdrawal of US aid.

Regards,
Virendra

 

[Parthy]

Terror head travels to US for asking money to fight against Terror....

ISI chief heads to US as ties nosedive


Pakistan's spy chief Ahmed Shuja Pasha, who heads the country's ISI, an organization accused by the United States of terrorist links and of murdering its own citizens, is arriving in Washington for talks aimed ostensibly at defusing tensions with the Obama administration.

The sudden, unexpected visit comes on the heels of mildly punitive US action including withholding $800 million military aid to Pakistan following US allegations that the Pakistani government "sanctioned" the murder of a journalist and that the ISI continues to foster terrorist groups in Pakistan at the expense of cooperation with Washington.

In a brief, one-line statement, Pakistan's military, de facto rulers of the country, said Pasha was going to Washington to "coordinate intelligence matters".

Pasha himself is under the gun, since he is listed as an accused in the 26/11 Mumbai attack case in a NY court case. His visit also comes on the heels of the assassination in Kandahar of Afghanistan president Karzai's half-brother Ahmed Wali Karzai.

The mood in Washington is decidedly hostile towards Pakistan, particularly the ISI, with sections of the US establishment wanting Pasha's ouster. A New York Times editorial last week, prompted by the Obama administration's views on the matter, said Pakistan's weak civilian government could re-establish its bonafides "by insisting on retirement of Lt Gen Ahmed Shuja Pasha, the ISI chief, and the appointment of a more credible successor."

"The US needs to use its influence to hasten Pasha's departure. It should tell Pakistan's security leadership that if Washington identifies anyone in ISI or the army as abetting terrorists, those individuals will face sanctions like travel bans or other measures. The ISI has become inimical to Pakistani and American interests," it said.

The Obama administration has held back some $ 800 in military aid to Pakistan, including $ 300 million earmarked for training programs which Pakistan's military scrapped by denying visas to U.S trainers and expelling those already in Pakistan. Pakistan's military fears that the trainers are being used to infiltrate the armed forces and hire spies to track down its assets, both human and technical.



ISI chief heads to US as ties nosedive - The Times of India

 

[Yusuf]

Terror head travels to US for asking money to fight against Terror....

ISI chief heads to US as ties nosedive

For sending any suggestions mail him at [email protected]. Lol

He should be arrested on arrival there.

They could not survive one week without alms.

 

[Parthy]

For sending any suggestions mail him at [email protected]. Lol

He should be arrested on arrival there.

They could not survive one week without alms.

Sometime back US court summoned ISI chief over 26/11 and they rejected the summon.

ISI chief won't appear in US court over 26/11: Pakistan PM - ISI chief won't appear in US court over 26/11: Pakistan PM - Hindustan Times

Now they summon their chief for getting back the money... Shameless people who doesn't have any guts.

 

[Yusuf]

Sometime back US court summoned ISI chief over 26/11 and they rejected the summon.

ISI chief won't appear in US court over 26/11: Pakistan PM - ISI chief won't appear in US court over 26/11: Pakistan PM - Hindustan Times

Now they summon their chief for getting back the money... Shameless people who doesn't have any guts.

Exactly why he should be arrested. Ah crap diplomatic immunity.

 

[AirforcePilot]

General Pasha is already here in the U.S. begging to get back the aid we have suspended. I hope we don't cave and reinstate the aid.

 

[Parthy]

General Pasha is already here in the U.S. begging to get back the aid we have suspended. I hope we don't cave and reinstate the aid.

I don't think so.. Obama's administration is not that resilient to do that.. They are very conscious about the operations carried out in Afghanistan. Pakistan will succeed in bring home their aid from US, because they are good in Begging.

 

[Yusuf]

General Pasha is already here in the U.S. begging to get back the aid we have suspended. I hope we don't cave and reinstate the aid.

$100 says he will go back with the $$$$. Part begging, part blackmailing, part fear mongering. You know the routine. You have been bearing it for 10 years.

 

[karra]

General Pasha is already here in the U.S. begging to get back the aid we have suspended. I hope we don't cave and reinstate the aid.

Not going to happen ,its your aid money which keeps these sold out ppl in power.You take your money away and they wil have no choice but to cave in to public demand/pressure which does not do you any good. Everybody here knows that your country has just too many ppl here doing your bidding, be they civilian leardership or some of our military generals.That day is not far when the ppl of pakistan will kick these ppl out

 

[Blackwater]

General Pasha is already here in the U.S. begging to get back the aid we have suspended. I hope we don't cave and reinstate the aid.

Sir, dont use 'Begging" word. It's banned..

 

[Blackwater]

$100 says he will go back with the $$$$. Part begging, part blackmailing, part fear mongering. You know the routine. You have been bearing it for 10 years.

Sir, don't use begging word. It's banned here