US President Barack Obama on Thursday signed into law legislation that will provide $7.5 billion in US aid to Pakistan over the next five years. 

“This law is the tangible manifestation of broad support for Pakistan in the US, as evidenced by its bipartisan, bicameral, unanimous passage in Congress,” the White House said in a statement.

Obama signed the legislation after hectic jockeying by Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi to secure assurances from Congress that the bill does not trample on Pakistan's sovereignty.

On Wednesday, the United States Congress sought to allay Pakistani concerns. Lawmakers released an explanatory statement assuring critics of the legislation that the bill in no way impinges on Pakistani sovereignty.

The statement notes: “The funds directly authorised by this Act -- $1.5 billion in economic and development assistance annually for five years, with a similar amount envisioned for a subsequent five years -- place no conditions on the Government of Pakistan. The only requirements are accountability measures placed on the United States executive branch to ensure that the aid directly benefits the Pakistani people.”

The White House cited Obama's remarks on March 27, in which the President said the United States wants to engage Pakistan on the basis of a strategic partnership, "grounded in support for Pakistan's democratic institutions and the Pakistani people”.

“This Act formalises that partnership, based on a shared commitment to improving the living conditions of the people of Pakistan through sustainable economic development, strengthening democracy and the rule of law, and combating the extremism that threatens Pakistan and the United States,” the White House statement said.

Sen John Kerry, a co-author of the legislation, said the statement was issued “to set the record straight”. He emphasised that the legislation in no way sought to “compromise Pakistan's sovereignty, impinge on Pakistan's national security interests, or micromanage any aspect of Pakistani military or civilian operations”.

A Pakistani Embassy spokesman told this correspondent the explanatory statement "addresses concerns the government of Pakistan had with language used in the legislation”. The statement will be placed in the Congressional Record along with the final version of the legislation that the President is expected to sign.

Qureshi returned to Washington after a visit to the US capital last week - in which he praised the bill - to convey the Pakistani parliament's and military's anger over conditions in the legislation.

Pakistan's military is especially worried about conditions in the bill that link the flow of future aid to verifications that Pakistan is delivering in the war against the Taliban, al-Qaeda and other terrorist groups. The secretary of state is required to make periodic certifications of Pakistan's cooperation in the fight against militants.

House Foreign Affairs Committee chairman Howard Berman, an author of the legislation, said the statement was "a reflection of our desire to be long-term partners with the Pakistani people”.

The statement also sought to put to rest concerns raised in Pakistan that the bill conditions assistance upon such factors as promotions of officers in Pakistan's military. 

Washington, October 15
The Al-Qaida's centre of gravity is Pakistan, not Afghanistan, a former top official of the US Armed forces has said. “The Al-Qaida centre of gravity is not Afghanistan. It is Pakistan. The loss of Afghanistan is a win for the Taliban and the Al-Qaida in Pakistan with potential serious consequences for Pakistan,” General Jack Keane (rtd), former Vice Chief of Staff of the US Army said yesterday in his testimony before the House Armed Services Committee.

It is not about how many Al-Qaida fighters are in Afghanistan, but how the Al-Qaida network enables, trains and supports the Taliban, Keane said the two could not be separated.

“We cannot conveniently separate the two. If we lose in Afghanistan, the Al-Qaida will be right behind the Taliban as they take over. Pakistan is a far more consequential country strategically, mostly because of nuclear weapons but also because of the size and influence of the country,” he said. “One of our major challenges with the political and military leadership in Afghanistan and Pakistan is their scepticism surrounding the United States' commitment to their country's stability and our resolve to stay the course. Given our track record in both countries, these doubts are founded, which clearly affect their attitudes and behaviour,” Keane said.

Noting that Pakistan is a country in which the US has vital national security interests at stake, Stephen Briddle, a senior fellow at the prestigious Council on Foreign Relations, said: “It's where the Al-Qaida's located now; it has a real live, honest-to-goodness usable nuclear arsenal”. — PTI