Washington, October 16: US President Barack Obama has signed a massive aid package for Pakistan into law amid fears in Islamabad it might impinge on the nuclear-armed country’s sovereignty.
The package, recently approved by US Congress, is worth one-point-five billion dollars annually over five years — totaling 7-point-5 billion dollars.
Obama signed the bill into law just hours after a spate of violent attacks on police facilities across Pakistan left at least 40 people dead.
The bill, however, calls for a cut-off in security assistance if Pakistan fails to crack down on militants.
The bill also insists on controlling the way the money is channeled, expressing distrust of the Pakistani military and intelligence agency ISI.
“Pakistani military or its intelligence agency ceases support to terrorist groups that have conducted attacks against the US or its coalition forces in Afghanistan or the people in neighboring countries,” reads one clause in the bill.
The bill sets several conditions for the aid to Pakistan. Pakistani army has said it was uneasy about “clauses impacting on national security”.
Critics in Islamabad including the military say the aid package could undermine Pakistan’s sovereignty.
Senators and lawmakers of the opposition benches have long pressed the government to withdraw its support from America’s so-called war against terror.
Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Mehmood Qureshi had traveled to Washington to convey Islamabad’s concerns over accepting the generous US ‘security’ aid package.
The Obama administration and Congressmen spent most of this week trying to allay Pakistani concerns about the aid.
The bill will fund humanitarian projects, and will be used to train and modernize the Pakistani police force. The aid is also to be used for efforts to cement civilian rule in Islamabad.
The developments come as a week of violence has left over 100 people dead across the insurgency-hit country.
Insurgents have been launching numerous attacks over the past couple of years, mostly aimed at government and security forces.
—–Agencies