 US senators have urged secretary of state Hillary Clinton and defense secretary Robert Gates to make sure Pakistan is doing its utmost to battle extremists before disbursing more US security aid.
The lawmakers, all Democrats, wrote Clinton and Gates a letter Tuesday in the wake of the raid in which elite US commandos found and killed Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin Laden in a Pakistani military town not far from the country's capital.
"We recognize the strategic importance of Pakistan," wrote the group, which include Senate Intelligence Committee Chairwoman Dianne Feinstein and Senate Finance Committee Chairman Max Baucus.
"However, we cannot overlook the logical conclusion of recent events, which is to question whether the Pakistani security establishment is ardently working to prevent terrorist groups from operating on Pakistani soil," they said.
The senators called for reviewing Pakistan's efforts to end its support for Islamist extremist groups, prevent Al-Qaeda, the Taliban and others from operating on Pakistani soil, and bolster its counter-terrorism and anti money-laundering laws.
"We believe that conducting this assessment will be crucial for the Congress to determine whether to provide the full range of security assistance," they said in the letter.
2.7 billion dollars in aid and reimbursements from Washington in fiscal year 2010 was provided, which ended on October 1, making it the third-largest recipient of US aid after Afghanistan and Israel.
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 US Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid on Tuesday played down talk of cutting aid to Pakistan in the wake of Osama bin Laden's death, saying now was the time to "withhold judgment," not money.
"Right now, we're at a very difficult time. We need to see if we can improve the relationship," the Democratic lawmaker told reporters, stressing: "This isn't the time to start flexing our muscles."
"I think this is the time that we have withhold judgment. Before any money's going to be asked to be sent to Pakistan, there will be hearings; there will be discussions in the White House. There will be diplomatic activities," said Reid.
Reid told reporters that Democratic Senator John Kerry had briefed his colleagues behind closed doors on his just-finished whirlwind trip to Afghanistan and Pakistan.
Reid cited "good things that we have already seen happen as a result of the visit by Senator Kerry" -- notably the return of the tail of a helicopter US Navy SEALs were forced to destroy during the May 2 raid.(source:geo news)
The United States is striving to have an understanding with Pakistan on way forward that continues anti-militant progress in the region and “answers a lot of the concerns that both sides have at this point,” Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said.
“We are working very hard to have an understanding with our counterparts in Pakistan about the best way forward,” Clinton told reporters Tuesday after meeting New Zealand’s foreign minister.
She spoke as Senator John Kerry returned from a visit to Islamabad during which both countries signaled their agreement on building trust and bilateral ties.
Clinton, who is expected to travel to Islamabad in the near future, noted that just in the past few days, she has spoken to senior Pakistani leaders, including President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gillani, Army Chief of Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
In the coming days, U.S. Special Representative for the region, Marc Grossman will be in Pakistan “to continue more detailed consultations.”
“And obviously, there are important concerns and many questions that have to be addressed and worked through,” she remarked. At the same time, the diplomat reminded that “in recent years our cooperation between our governments, our militaries, our law enforcement agencies, has increased pressure on al-Qaida and the Taliban, and we want that progress to continue.”
Clinton had praise for Senator Kerry’s efforts in Islamabad and said she had been in close touch with him before and during the lawmaker’s trip.
“I appreciate very much his delivering to the Pakistanis, in his capacity as chairman of the Foreign Relations Committee, a clear perspective on the concerns of the United States Congress.” (source:thenews)
(photo source:Thenews)
Pakistan has already paid dearly for its failure to know or acknowledge that Osama bin Laden was hiding for more than five years in a compound a short distance from a Pakistani military facility, Pentagon leaders insisted Wednesday. Pushing back against angry public and congressional accusations that Pakistani officials were complicit in bin Laden's sanctuary there, Defense Secretary Robert Gates said he's seen proof that leaders there were unaware of bin Laden's whereabouts.
"I have seen no evidence at all that the senior leadership knew. In fact, I've seen some evidence to the contrary," Gates told reporters at the Pentagon. "We have no evidence yet with respect to anybody else. My supposition is, somebody knew."
He wouldn't say who, but suggested it could have been retired or low-level Pakistani officials.(source:msnb)
Intelligence personnel on Tuesday nabbed a senior al-Qaeda leader Abu Sohaib Al Makki from the outskirts of Karachi. | |
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Al Makki is a Yemeni national and has been working directly under al-Qaeda leaders along the Pak-Afghan border. Abu Sohaib Al Makki is a computer wizard and is fluent in Urdu, English, Pushtu, Farsi and Arabic. He had also taken part in the Afghan war.
Officials say Al-Makki is currently being investigated about the killing of Saudi Consulate employee Al-Kahatani and the presence and plans of other militants in the country.(Source:TheNews)
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