Author: ANI
Publication: Yahoo News
Date: May 17, 2003
URL: http://in.news.yahoo.com/030517/139/24ene.html
It's not true as if India is totally
friendless in the supreme law-making body of USA. And she has earned kudos
from a Congressman for border restraint on the west. On the other hand,
Pakistan, despite being a US ally on war against terror, has not passed
tests in crucial areas, as is evident in a US measure that calls for officially
certified declarations of "no" from Islamabad to sensitive questions.
The International Relations Committee
of the US House of Representatives has unanimously approved a measure that
would call on the American administration to disclose to Congress and to
the people the extent to which Pakistan is fulfilling its promise to clamp
down on cross-border terrorism, wind up terrorist camps in PoK and halt
the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology to rogue states and terrorists.
The measure must pass several hurdles
before it becomes law, but it does show for the first time that Congress
has officially acknowledged its concerns about Pakistan's role in supporting
terrorism and transferring nuclear technology.
Congressman Eni Faleomavaega introduced
the measure. He is the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Asia and the
Pacific - a smaller body within the International Relations Committee.
In that position, he presented what he calls a common sense amendment to
a larger bill that has raised eyebrows in the Indian and Pakistani missions
in Washington.
The amendment would call on the
Bush administration to report to Congress for each of the next two years
on Pakistan's progress in three areas.
The first area, he told ANI in an
interview, involves closing down of terrorist camps.
"I think it's quite obvious since
the time of the Afghanistan war that there are still a good number of Al
Qaeda presence in Pakistan, not to suggest that Al Qaeda are the ones that
are having this problem between Pakistan and India. But this is a very
important issue that we need to make sure -- that these extreme elements
coming from Pakistan, whether they're Al Qaeda or not, don't come and cause
problems for those who live in India. I think that's a common sense concern,"
he observed.
The second area refers to cross-border
problems. According to Faleomavaega, "60,000 men, women and children end
up dead because of these cross-border problems emanating from the extremist
elements, again, coming from Pakistan.
"I think I have to give credit to
the government of India. At least it's my understanding that since 1972,
India has honoured this promise that it made that it would have no cross-border
violations or in any way that they would do likewise. It seems that the
extreme elements coming from Pakistan is causing the problem."
And the third area addressed in
the amendment concerns Pakistan's alleged transfer of nuclear weapons technology
to third countries.
Faleomavaega said press reports
have led him to believe that Islamabad did indeed transfer such technology
to North Korea at some point in time. He sincerely hopes that kind of activity
has ceased.
"This is tantamount," according
to him, "almost like you're giving a left hand assistance for us in extricating
the Taliban and the Al Qaeda, but then also giving the right hand to North
Korea that is now a real serious threat in the whole Asia-Pacific region.
And I hate to think that Pakistan was the instrument that will allow North
Korea to develop a nuclear programme."
The Congressman clarified that he
was not expecting the US government to conduct an independent investigation
into Pakistan's progress on these three areas of concern. He only wants
Pakistan to make an officially certified promise that these activities
are no longer going on.
"We're not looking for a third party
to have to be the monitoring agency to do this. We're putting Pakistan
on its honor, simply certifying that these three concerns that we have
are not true. Put it in writing, saying 'no more of this, no more of that.'
And let that stand itself. I'd like to think that despite all the rhetoric
that has been going on with the media - > they're denying this, this, and
that - I'd like to say a better officially written, saying 'no, this is
this, this, this, and be done with it'."
Faleomavaega would not specify exactly
what actions the Congress should take if the US administration were to
issue a negative report on Pakistan's progress in the three areas. But
in his statement introducing the amendment, he did express reservations
about the US authorizing aid to Pakistan "with no strings attached" while
these types of concerns persisted.
Before the measure becomes law,
it must pass the full House of Representatives and then the Senate. Finally,
it would have to be signed by President Bush. It is likely encounter some
resistance from the White House, since the Administration wants to ensure
Pakistan's continued cooperation in the war on terrorism and in the hunt
for Al Qaeda fugitives near the Afghan border.
But Faleomavaega said he is not
giving up on the measure.
"You ask a 64,000-dollar question
of whether or not my amendment's gonna pass. And I cannot tell you for
sure where it's gonna end up, but I incerely hope that ... and I'm sure
the Administration has some concerns about it," he affirmed.
"But I'm willing to go to bat and
see where it ends, and hopefully that President Musharraf - maybe before
the whole thing passes he's already gotten out the letter certifying that
these three areas are under control, and I say more power to him. And I
sincerely hope that this will be the result," the legislator stressed.
(ANI)
