Observing that Pakistan poses one of the most serious challenge to the US foreign policy, a top Democrat lawmaker has said that it becomes all the more necessary to make sure that Pak is made accountable to the US aid, to make sure that unlike in the past it does not goes down the drain.
"Pakistan constitutes one of the most vexing foreign policy challenges of our age," Howard Berman, Chairman of the powerful House Committee on Foreign Relations said Tuesday during the course of a debate on his legislation on Pakistan in the House Rules Committee.
The Pakistan Enduring Assistance Act (H R 1886), which was passed by the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, was being debated in the House Committee on Rules before it could be taken up on the floor.
The act proposes to triple the civilian aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion for the next five years, but imposes strict conditions on Pakistan in lieu of that which is being resented by the Obama Administration and opposed by the establishment in Pakistan as well.
"Someone argued, "Oh, you shouldn't have any conditions, any benchmarks, any accountability provisions.", Berman said during the Rules Committee meeting. "But these aren't rigid and inflexible conditions. We are simply asking Pakistan to follow through with the commitments it has already made.
{{/usCountry}}"Someone argued, "Oh, you shouldn't have any conditions, any benchmarks, any accountability provisions.", Berman said during the Rules Committee meeting. "But these aren't rigid and inflexible conditions. We are simply asking Pakistan to follow through with the commitments it has already made.
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