Karachi, October 07: Although the Congress has recently approved the tripling of aid to Pakistan to the amount of 1.5 billion dollars a year, many Pakistanis remain suspicious of the US and its intentions.
“This bill should be considered a document of slavery for Pakistanis,” Nihal Hashmi, a lawyer, told IslamOnline.net.
“We have accepted humiliating conditions imposed by the US just for 1.5 billion dollars aid whereas we have lost over 40 billion dollars in the last eight years of the so-called war on terror.”
The Congress approved last week the Kerry Luger bill which triples annual aid to Pakistan to 1.5 billion dollars for the next four years in recognition of its role in the war on terror.
Pakistan Future (Special page)
“This is a diplomatic victory for Pakistan that its efforts in the war on terror have been accepted,” Fauzia Wahab, Information Secretary of the ruling Pakistan Peoples Party (PPP), told IOL.
She insisted that various conditions which were unacceptable to Pakistan have been scrapped.
“Some people are exploiting the public sentiments by wrongly interpreting the conditions of Kerry Luger bill.
“I ask all those who are protesting against this bill to keep the national interest in mind, and for God sake, don’t distract the people.”
But critics are troubled by several clauses in the bill, including one under which Pakistan will be bound to give the US direct access to nuclear scientists who, according to US, are or will be involved in nuclear proliferation.
“Great nations always keep their dignity and honor prime but it seems we have lost everything, including our dignity, and have agreed to survive on alms,” fumes Shaukat Ali, a writer.
“We have already killed thousands of our people in the name of the war on terror but the US is still not happy with our services. Now, it wants to leave us toothless by depriving us of our nuclear program,” he charged.
“I believe that every patriotic Pakistani will reject this bill, which is a death warrant for our national dignity and honor.”
Countrywide protests are being organized by different religious and political parties, asking the government to reject the controversial clauses in the bill.
To Whose Benefit?
“I am an ordinary laborer and will remain a laborer no matter how much money the US will give to Pakistan,” Hussein told IOL.
Many are even skeptical that the tripled aid would serve lay Pakistanis.
“I don’t care about the 1.5 billion dollars aid because I know it will go back to the US in the name of advisory services, consultancy, and procurement of weapons, which will ultimately be used against my own people,” says Ali, the writer.
Shahid Hassan Siddiqui, an economist, agrees.
“A major chunk of the aid always returns to the donor because you have to hire their consultants and various other services,” he told IOL.
He stressed that the aid would be largely used to enhance the army’s capability to fight against terrorism.
“The 1.5 billion dollars aid will not benefit our poor people.”
Siddiqui does not believe that foreign aid is the solution to Pakistan’s economic woes.
“Foreign aid or loans have never been a good omen for any economy,” he contends.
“When your own economy is weak and you get foreign aid or loan, it will ultimately bring your economy on a highly vulnerable position whereby you start depending heavily on foreign resources and your own resources start drying up.”
For Khadim Hussein, a vendor, the whole fuss about the tripling of American aid is much simpler.
“I have no idea what this bill is or what America wants in return,” he told IOL.
“What I know is that I am not the beneficiary of this aid. This will go in the pockets of bigwigs.
“I am an ordinary laborer and will remain a laborer no matter how much money the US will give to Pakistan.”
–Agencies