Powered by pride, Pakistan set to reject Kerry-Lugar Bill

ISLAMABAD: The government is gently moving in a direction where it may

reject the Kerry-Lugar Bill in its present shape. The rejection will be

accompanied by a request to the US Congress and the Obama

administration for an understanding of Pakistan’s sovereignty and its

right to decide issues of national security and foreign policy,

according to several senior Pakistani officials and an important

federal cabinet minister. The sources spoke to this correspondent on

condition of anonymity.“I’ll be very very surprised if Pakistan accepts

the Kerry-Lugar Bill with its present formulations because the nation

wouldn’t allow a trade-off between sovereignty and US aid,” said an

important federal cabinet member, reflecting the prevailing sense in

government circles on the issue.Less than a week after the passage of

the Kerry-Lugar Bill by the American Congress, the civil and military

leadership in Pakistan is sharing strong concerns with opposition

politicians, the media, intellectuals and clerics over certain

provisions in the bill where the US government has sought to oversee

the key components of Pakistan’s foreign policy and national security.An aid package of $1.5 billion a year for the next five years passed by Congress last week asks Pakistan to cease supporting terrorist groups on its soil and to ensure that the military does not interfere with civilian politics. President Asif Ali ZardariAsif Ali Zardari, whose association with the United States has added to his unpopularity, agreed to the stipulations in the aid package.

But many here, especially in the powerful army, object to the conditions as interference in Pakistan’s internal affairs, and they are interpreting the larger American footprint in more sinister ways.