White House should temper bill on military aid, Pakistan says

Jan 31, 2007, 12:50 GMT

Islamabad - The US administration should step in and 'balance' proposed legislation to curtail military assistance to Pakistan if it does not step up its fight against terrorism, the Foreign Ministry in Islamabad said Wednesday.

'We expect the administration to intervene and we expect the language of the final legislation to be more balanced,' spokeswoman Tasneem Aslam told a press briefing.

The bill already adopted by the US House of Representatives urges President George W Bush to ensure Pakistan is making all efforts to 'prevent Taliban from operating in areas areas under its sovereign control.'

Non-compliance would result in a suspension of military assistance, including sales of weapons and spares.

Pakistan is due in the coming years to receive F-16 fighters worth 5 billion dollars as well as hundreds of air-to-air missiles from the United States.

While the bill also includes Afghanistan and Saudi Arabia, the section on Pakistan lays out policy objectives ranging from ensuring free and fair parliamentary elections this year to stepping up efforts to contain militants and terrorists.

It must also work to curb the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology.

While praising Pakistan's cooperation in the war against terrorism, the US government has been pressuring Islamabad to prevent insurgents from mounting raids into Afghanistan from its territory.

A US delegation led by House of Representatives Speaker Nancy Pelosi stopped in Pakistan last week for talks with President Pervez Musharraf on counterterrorism and other issues.