US lawmakers seek Pakistan aid cut

WASHINGTON (PAN in particular.

The legislation was introduced on Thursday, a day after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton told lawmakers that the Pakistan Army and ISI continued to have links with extremist organisations.

Introduced by Congressman Michael McCaul and co-sponsored by Foreign Affairs Committee Chairwoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen, the legislation was sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for necessary action.

It will require the secretary of state to certify that Pakistan is not aiding, advising or informing the Haqqani network in any way; otherwise the US aid to Pakistan will be cut off and redirected toward fighting Mexican drug cartel violence.

McCaul said this year the State Department was requesting $2.4 billion in civilian and security assistance to Pakistan, some of which could end up in the hands of the Haqqani network. Defense and intelligence aid will remain intact.

“When I met with President (Asif Ali) Zardari, he expressed a commitment to eradicating the Haqqani network, but I am not convinced that he has enough control over his military and intelligence to follow through,” said McCaul, who led a Homeland Security Committee delegation to Pakistan, Afghanistan and Iraq in November.

“I tried to make it clear to him that foreign aid from the United States is in jeopardy. In my view, it is an absurd foreign policy to indirectly fund a terrorist network that has killed Americans and continues to plot against us,” he remarked.

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