Pak not bound to accept ’strings’ attached with Kerry Lugar Bill: Gilani

October 12th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has dashed down to the United States for an emergency visit to convey Islamabad's objections over the 'stern' clauses attached in the Kerry Lugar Bill. "It is an unscheduled visit during which the foreign minister will definitely discuss the bill," sources privy to the Foreign Office said.

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 Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has once again raked up the Kashmir issue, saying Islamabad's principled stance on the issue will remain unchanged and that it will continue to push for its early settlement. Talking to media person on the sidelines of a function in Muzaffarabad, Gilani said awarding autonomy to Gilgit Baltistan would not affect the Kashmir issue.

October 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani has said that a high level meeting would soon be convened to discuss the controversial Kerry Lugar Bill and its implications. The participant of the meeting would include President Asif Ali Zardari, Chief of Army Staff General Ashfaq Pervez Kayani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi apart from Gilani himself.

October 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - It what may give rise to a serious altercation between the Army and the government, the Pakistan Presidency has dismissed the objections raised by the Armed Forces over the Kerry Lugar Bill. Asif Ali Zardari's spokesperson, Farhatullah Babar, said there are established channels for the Pakistan Army to express its views.

October 9th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistani opposition parties have described the controversial Kerry Lugar Bill as a 'national insult' and an attempt by the US to interfere in the country's internal issues. During a discussion over the bill in the National Assembly, Pakistan Muslim League-Quaid (PML-Q) leader Faisal Saleh Hayat said the terms and conditions attached with the bill have created differences among various government institutions.

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 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.

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 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.

October 6th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Pakistan Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira has admitted that the American security aid promised under the Kerry-Lugar Bill has "some strings," but they are in line with government policies. The Daily Times quoted him, as saying that the checks on the assistance promised for the armed forces were in line with the government's policies, as the government wanted a strong check on nuclear-proliferation and did not want Pakistani territory to be used to stage terrorist activities in foreign countries.

October 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.

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.

September 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.