Pak not bound to accept 'strings' attached with Kerry Lugar Bill: GilaniOctober 8th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that the government is not bound to accept the terms and conditions attached with the Kerry Lugar Bill and the final decision in this regard would be taken by Parliament. Addressing the National Assembly, Gilani said he has already taken President Asif Ali Zardari and the Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani into confidence over the issue.
Pakistan says US aid 'signal of long term commitment'October 8th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Even as Pakistan's military questioned the anti-terror strings attached to the proposed $7.5 billion US aid package, its foreign minister said it was crucial to fight terrorists and the US assured that it would not impinge on Islamabad's sovereignty. The US lawmakers responsible for the bill to provide Pakistan with $1.5 billion a year over the next five years had also assured him that the economic aid has no conditions attached, Shah Mahmood Qureshi said Wednesday at the Council on Foreign Relations.
No rift between govt, Army over Kerry Lugar Bill : KairaOctober 8th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Information and Broadcasting Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has rejected reports regarding a rift between the government and the Army over the Kerry Lugar Bill issue. Responding to queries about altercations between the government and the Pakistan Army over the 'severe' terms and conditions attached with the US aid bill, Kaira said: "There is no clash between the government and Army."
Kaira said Pakistan was not bound to accept the terms and conditions in the bill, as it has not inked any deal with the US in this regard.
Kerry Lugar Bill would not harm Pak's sovereignty: John KerryOctober 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.
Kerry Lugar Bill 'big success' for Pak Government: GilaniOctober 7th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Defending the Kerry Lugar Bill, Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has termed the controversial aid package as a 'big success' of his government. Addressing a meeting of government coalition partners, Gilani said the United States has assured all help to Pakistan.
Kerry Lugar Bill a 'milestone', critics should read it first: ClintonOctober 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.
US trying to 'defang' Pak army to make it impotent against India: Ex-Pak ministerOctober 6th, 2009 NEW YORK - A former Pakistan minister has criticized the Gilani Government for agreeing to the terms and conditions attached with the Kerry-Lugar Bill, saying the United States is trying to 'defang' the country and destroy the armed forces. "People think this government has sold us to the Americans again for their own selfish interests," The New York Times quoted Jahangir Tareen, as saying.
Pak senators say Kerry-Lugar Bill targets nuke arsenalOctober 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.
'Confused' Gilani must remove cobwebs from his head: EditorialOctober 3rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, it seems, is unable to decide about his strategy regarding some of the most important issues of national interest. An editorial in one of Pakistan's leading English dailies said Gilani appears to be confused over issues concerning the national interest as he keeps on changing his views.
Haqqani says Kerry-Lugar Bill doesn't have nuclear restrictionOctober 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.
Kerry Lugar Bill attracts wide scale criticism in PakistanOctober 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'.
Kerry-Lugar bill 'conditionalities' prerogative of 'sole super power' US: HaqqaniSeptember 29th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Amid the growing discontent over the conditions attached with the Kerry-Lugar aid bill in the country, Pakistan's Ambassador to the US, Hussain Haqqani has said that the US' policies could not be altered. "The US was the sole super power of the contemporary world and it was not possible for any country to influence its polices.
Kerry Lugar bill worth 'peanuts': PML-NSeptember 29th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz (PML-N) has criticized the PPP government for keeping the people of the country in the dark over the terms and conditions attached with the Kerry Lugar aid bill, and has termed the 1.5 billion dollar annual US assistance as 'peanuts'. Interacting with media persons here, PML-N spokesman Ahsan Iqbal said the government should take parliament into confidence before accepting the conditions stated in the bill.
PML-Q says Kerry-Lugar Bill insults PakistanSeptember 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.
US says Kerry-Lugar Bill will be approved by SeptemberAugust 29th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The Kerry-Lugar Bill would be approved by the American Senate by September, the coordinator of the non-military aid to Islamabad has said. The Dawn quoted Rabin Raphael, as saying that his appointment for managing the affairs in Pakistan pertained to oversee a coordinated disbursement of aid supplied to Pakistan under USAID and Kerry-Lugar schemes.
Loading ...