Pak ‘unhappy’ over ’stringed’ US aid

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 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 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.

September 26th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The United States would be sending a high-level team to Pakistan to identify areas and projects for the utilization of the 1.5 billion dollar non-military aid under the Kerry-Lugar bill in order to make sure that the assistance is being used exactly for the purpose it is meant for. According to sources, the US mission would be visiting Pakistan next month.

August 18th, 2009 SYDNEY - Australian Foreign Minister Steven Smith Tuesday flagged further discord with China following tiffs over foreign investment rules, iron ore pricing, alleged industrial espionage and the visit to Australia of Uighur leader Rebiya Kadeer. He told parliament that China had cancelled a visit by a senior official in response to Canberra's decision to grant Kadeer a visa to visit a film festival in Melbourne.

July 25th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The United States has approved a 'stringed' military aid for Pakistan aimed at ensuring that the assistance is being utilized for the purpose it is actually meant for that is to counter the Taliban and Al-Qaeda. The US Senate approved the bipartisan amendment moved by Senators Robert Menendez and Bob Corker which would need a certification by the Secretaries of State and Defence, before the funds are released.

June 18th, 2009 ISLAMABAD - Criticizing the 'stringed' US assistance to Pakistan, former Pakistan Information minister, Sherry Rehman, has said that the assistance being offered to Islamabad by Washington was a major factor which comprises the strategic goals of both the countries. Testifying before the US Congress Sub-Committee on National Security hearing for the internally displaced persons (IDPs) crisis, Rehman said there was a need for an absolute commitment on the part of the Unites States and other countries to help Pakistan come out from its worst humanitarian crisis since its formation in 1947.

June 13th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Stopping cross border attacks and cracking down on the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT) and other major terrorist organizations, are some of the key benchmarks that the US House of Representatives has attached to the annual aid bill for Pakistan worth 1.5 billion dollars. According to the restrictions included in the 'Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement Act' (PEACE), an evaluation of efforts would be undertaken by the Pakistan government to disrupt, dismantle, and defeat al Qaeda, the Taliban, and other extremist and terrorist groups in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA) and other regions.

May 25th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan's cricket selection committee, which is headed by former leg spinner Abdul Qadir, is reportedly upset over not being consulted about the axing of pacer Shoaib Akhtar from the Twenty20 World Championship squad. The Nation quoted sources close to Qadir as saying that he was unhappy that coach Intikhab Alam had dropped Akhtar from the national team without consulting the selection committee.

May 24th, 2009 LAHORE - Pakistan Muslim League-Qaid (PML-Q) Chief Chaudhury Shujaat Hussain has blamed India for the Swat military operation. Addressing a press conference here, Hussain called India as 'conspirator-in-chief' of the Swat operation, and asked the entire nation to stand behind the armed forces.

May 22nd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The proposed US military assistance to Pakistan must come with certain benchmarks which were missing in the aid provided to Islamabad in the past. Several US Senators are pressing the Obama administration to impose conditions on the aid being provided to Pakistan, primarily aimed for counter-insurgency operations against the Taliban and other Islamist militants.

May 21st, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton has said the Obama administration would ensure that US aid to Pakistan is not diverted to any other channel, and is utilized only for the purpose it is meant for. "The administration will make sure that there's no diversion of money or any use of it other than what it is meant for," The Dawn quoted Clinton, as saying.

April 23rd, 2009 ISLAMABAD - The 1.5 million dollars aid package which the United States plans to offer Pakistan over the next five years is unlikely to be accompanied with harsh conditions as was proposed earlier, said a US diplomat. "I don't think that we are going to see very harsh conditions," the Dawn quoted a senior diplomat, as saying.

April 19th, 2009 LAHORE - Following the International Cricket Council's (ICC) decision of not hosting 2011 World Cup matches in Pakistan, the Pakistan Cricket Board (PCB) is unhappy over the lack of support from other Asian cricketing bodies on the issue. According to The Nation, the PCB chairman Ijaz Butt is upset at the lack of support from the three other Asian countries India, Sri Lanka and Bangladesh when the discussions on the security situation in Pakistan were in the ICC meeting last week.

April 2nd, 2009 LAHORE - Cricketer turned politician Imran Khan has strongly opposed US aid saying the assistance being offered by Washington has resulted in the Pak Army killing its own civilians. Khan termed the US aid as 'stringed', and one which would not serve the real purpose of establishing peace in the region.