US Congressional amendment for conditional aid to Pak

Washington, May 19: An amendment has been introduced in the Congress which conditions all military aid to Pakistan with its ability to cease support to all groups indulging in cross-border terrorism, dismantling of their training infrastructure and preventing and disrupting attacks across international frontiers.

John F Tierney, the Democratic Party lawmaker from Massachusetts, introduced the amendment in the House of Representatives to the pending legislation on aid to Pakistan. It establishes enforceable benchmarks on US military assistance to Pakistan that would lead to the articulation of reasonable expectations.

"Pakistani military commanders continue to consider certain extremists as their "strategic assets" in their seemingly never-ending security concerns involving fears about India," said Tierney.

He underlined that the "Pakistani military continues to fail to give proper attention to Pakistan's existential threat - the very extremists who associate with and harbor al-Qaeda and are also a threat to Afghanistan, our forces in Afghanistan, and others throughout the world".

Introducing the amendments in the House yesterday, Congressman Tierney said it requires determinations on Pakistan - through its military - to make concerted progress toward ceasing of all support to groups presenting cross-border terrorist threats, dismantling training facilities for such groups across Pakistan, and preventing and disrupting cross-border attacks. PTI