Military-aid to Pakistan if it fights terrorism

Washington, Mar 8: Three leading Democrats have introduced a legislation in the US Senate which seeks to link future military-aid to Pakistan to its progress in combating terrorism within its borders.

The legislation, though non-binding, has come at a time when Pakistan is expecting delivery from the United States of 70 American F-16 jet aircraft. Of them, 18 are those which Pakistan had contracted long back. It has the option to buy another 18 new aircraft. In addition, the US will refurbish 34 used F-16s, already with Pakistan's Air Force.

Senators Joseph Biden and Chris Dodd, both aspirants for Democratic presidential nomination for 2008, and John Kerry, who lost the presidential race to US President George W Bush in 2004, in their draft yesterday, said, ''Military aid to Pakistan should be guided by demonstrable progress in achieving certain objectives related to counterterrorism and democratic reforms.'' The non-binding resolution seeks to ensure that Islamabad work vigorously towards ''preventing Al-Qaeda and associated terrorist organisations from operating in the territory of Pakistan''.

The Bush administration, however, opposed the move.

Assistant Secretary of State for Central and South Asia Richard Boucher told a House Foreign Affairs subcommittee that the arms package should not be treated as a reward to Pakistan. Islamabad was fighting Taliban militia for its own good and that the United States and other nations benefited as a result, he said.

Earlier, Committee Chairman Gary Ackerman had asked Mr Boucher about the current status of the sale of F-16s to Pakistan. ''The F-16 isn't just a carrot. And we should have strong expectations from Pakistan,'' he said.

''I think it's important to remember that when it comes to fighting al-Qaeda, no country has done more, and no country has lost more men in the process than Pakistan. They made an enormous effort and suffered enormous costs. I would point out as well that the Taliban are under pressure from Pakistan,'' Mr Boucher said.

UNI