Kerry Lugar bill not a threat to Pakistan’s sovereignty: US

October 19th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - US Senator John Kerry has said no change is possible in the Kerry-Lugar bill that seeks to provide billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan. As per the agreement, Islamabad is required to summit expenditure reports to the US.

October 16th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - While Pakistani political parties have been making a hue and cry over some of the objectionable clauses of the Kerry-Lugar bill saying India may be behind the stern conditions which impinge upon its sovereignty, the head of a top US think tank has rejected reports regarding the role of an Indian lobby in drafting the bill. "I don't believe Indian lobby has any influence on the bill," said Robert Hathaway, Director of the Woodrow Wilson International Centre.

October 15th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan may have to seek an additional $847 million from the International Monetary Fund (IMF) if the aid the US has proposed under a controversial bill does not come through, the country's finance minister has said. Pakistan, in its budget for 2009-10, had estimated a US grant of $874 million for the fiscal that began July 1 but the ongoing impasse on the bill had put this at stake and the government would have to take measures to bridge the gap, Dawn Thursday quoted Shaukat Tarin as saying.

October 14th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States has said it welcomes a debate on the controversial Kerry Lugar Bill in the Pakistan Parliament, saying it would help assuage the feelings of reservation and concern over how the US aid is to be disbursed and in what circumstances. Interacting with media persons during a regular briefing, US State Department spokesperson Philip Crowley said the debate over the bill is an important and positive step.

October 9th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Worried by the wide scale criticism of the Kerry Lugar Bill in Pakistan, US Vice President Joe Biden has said that Washington is considering Islamabad's reservations on the aid Bill. Biden met Pakistani ambassador-at-large Raffat Mahmood in Washington and told him that the Obama Administration is aware of Pakistan's concerns and is examining them, The News reports.

October 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan has reiterated that it is not bound to accept the 'stringed' Kerry Lugar Bill and is expecting that the US would make suitable amendments in the Bill in view of the large scale criticism it has received in the country. ddressing media persons during a regular press briefing, Foreign Office spokesperson Abdul Basit said the Kerry Lugar Bill was not a bilateral agreement, so it was not necessary for the Pakistan government to agree with all of its clauses.

October 9th, 2009 LAHORE - US Ambassador to Pakistan, Anne W Patterson, has said many clauses in the Kerry-Lugar Bill with regard to the Pakistan Army "are a big mistake". The Daily Times quoted Patterson as saying that the Obama administration had gone the extra mile to ensure that the bill didn't harm Pakistan's sovereignty.

October 8th, 2009 Washington, Oct.8: US Senator John Kerry, the main sponsor of the controversial Kerry Lugar Bill, has said that there are no conditions in respect to the civilian and economic assistance attached to the Bill, rather it contains accountability measures to ensure that the amount is spent in exactly in the way it is being provided for. "There are measures of financial accountability in place to ensure the money is spent in a way that the American people want it to be spent," Kerry said.

October 8th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Muslim League-Q (PML-Q) president Chaudhry Shujaat Hussain has termed the controversial Kerry-Lugar Bill as a 'triumph for India'. Addressing party leaders here, Hussain said the bill cannot be accepted in its current form as it has several controversial points regarding the Army, Pakistan's nuclear programme and security agencies.

October 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Terming the Kerry-Lugar Bill a 'milestone' in Pak-US bilateral relations, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has asked all critics of the 1.5 billion dollar annual assistance package to first read the Bill. Addressing a joint press conference with Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in Washington, Clinton said the focus of the Kerry Lugar Bill would be to improve education, health and other basic amenities in the troubled nation.

October 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Senator John Kerry, the main sponsor of the controversial Kerry Lugar Bill, has said Washington has no intention to harm Pakistan's sovereignty through the Bill. Addressing a press conference after meeting Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi here, Kerry said the Obama Administration wants to work for the better of the Pakistanis and stressed that the aid Bill is a clear sign of US' direct relations with the people of Pakistan.

October 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan's senators have slammed the Kerry-Lugar Bill saying that it targets the country's nuclear weapons. Opposition senators, including Raja Zafar ul Haq, Waseem Sajjad, Ishaq Dar, urged the government to reject it as it was against the independence and sovereignty of Pakistan.

October 2nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - Pakistan's envoy to the US, Hussain Haqqani, has said the Kerry-Lugar Bill has no provision to restrict Islamabad's nuclear programme. However, he added, that the bill prevents Pakistan from being part of any outward proliferation.

October 1st, 2009 KARACHI - The Kerry-Lugar aid Bill, which promises 1.5 billion dollars of annual assistance to Pakistan over the next five years, has been receiving flak from different quarters in the country. Pakistani political parties have criticized the United States for adding severe conditions on the aid bill terming them 'humiliating'.

September 28th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid has termed the Kerry-Lugar economic aid bill as an "insult to Pakistan", demanding an explanation from the government on how it has accepted the language of the bill that weakens Pakistan's position on the international front. The Daily Times quoted PML-Q legislator Marvi Memon, as saying that "asking Pakistan to cease support - including by any elements within the military or intelligence agencies - to extremist and terrorist groups" in the text of the Kerry-Lugar bill was insulting and sent a wrong message to the world.