ISLAMABAD — Just last week, Pakistan's foreign minister was playing down his army's objections to a multibillion-dollar U.S. aid bill. Days later, after a session with the army chief, he was back in Washington urging U.S. lawmakers to address the very concerns he had dismissed.
The about-face shows the delicate dance between Pakistan's fragile civilian government and the powerful military, less than two years after the army formally gave up control of the country.
The proposed aid package would provide Pakistan with $1.5 billion a year over five years to spend mainly on economic and social programs. The overall goal is to alleviate poverty, thus lessening the allure of the Taliban and other militant groups threatening Pakistan and the U.S. war effort in neighboring Afghanistan.
Pakistan's military objects to language that links money for counterterrorism assistance to meeting various conditions. The legislation also requires the U.S. secretary of state to report to Congress every six months on whether Pakistan's government maintains effective control over the military, including its budgets, the chain of command and top promotions.
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On Wednesday, Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi said he would return home from Washington satisfied that the aid package does not hurt his country's sovereignty. He said he had been given U.S. assurances that would "allay the fears of Pakistan."
U.S. lawmakers, however, have no plans to change the bill, which awaits President Obama's signature into law.
Sen. John Kerry, D-Mass., a co-sponsor of the bill, told reporters after meeting with Qureshi for the second time in two days that a statement attempting to clarify points in the bill would be entered into the congressional record.
Qureshi called the explanatory statement "historic." But lawmakers frequently put comments and documents — even congratulatory notes for local sports teams — into the congressional record. They do not have the force of law.
"The legislation does not seek in any way to compromise Pakistan's sovereignty, impinge on Pakistan's national security interests, or micromanage any aspect of Pakistani military or civilian operations," the statement said.
"There are no conditions on Pakistan attached to the authorization of $7.5 billion in non-military aid. The only requirements on this funding are financial accountability measures that Congress is imposing on the U.S. executive branch, to ensure that this assistance supports programs that most benefit the Pakistani people."
The language of that statement may not satisfy critics in Pakistan. Opposition lawmaker Ayaz Amir said if the proposal's wording does not change — a process that could require sending it back to Congress — it could deepen the rift between the army and the government.
Brazen attacks launched on 3 police installations
LAHORE, Pakistan — Teams of gunmen attacked three law enforcement facilities in Pakistan's eastern city of Lahore on Thursday, a major escalation in an audacious wave of terror strikes.
At least seven people died in a gunfight with police at one site, police said as the city plunged into chaos.
In the Taliban-riddled northwest, meanwhile, a suicide car bomber detonated his vehicle next to a police station, killing at least eight people, while a suspected U.S. missile strike killed four alleged militants, officials said.
Faculty concerned about changes to U of A admissions policy
