US Senate ties aid to Pak to action against Lashkar
BEYOND HAQQANI Significant for India as this is the first time LeT is named
The US Senate passed a legislation on Monday that for the first time proposes to make payments to Pakistan for its cooperation in the war in Afghanistan incumbent on action taken by it against the Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the banned terror group founded by Hafiz Saeed.
An amount of $350 million, which is half of the $700 million set aside under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for compensating Pakistan for its cooperation in operations in Afghanistan, will be tied to Islamabad’s actions against LeT.
This will be in addition to the action required against the Haqqani Network, which has been part of the precondition for three years. The LeT has primarily targeted India but it has also been increasingly blamed for attacks on US forces in Afghanistan.
Technically, the Senate proposal will become legislation only if it is reconciled with the version of the defence budget proposed and passed by the House of Representatives. But the proposal itself, of tying payments to action against the LeT, was described by Senate officials as significant and reflecting the sense of the Senate and its frustration with an untrustworthy ally.
According to Section 1213 of the Defence Authorisation Bill passed by the Senate for 2018 — which is essentially the proposed $700 billion defence budget — the CSF payment will be incumbent on Pakistan conducting “military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the safe havens, fundraising and recruiting efforts, and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba.”
The bill added that Pakistan must show “it has taken steps to demonstrate its commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network and Lashkar-e-Tayyiba from using any Pakistan territory as a safe haven and for fundraising and recruiting efforts”.
Islamabad must also demonstrate “progress in arresting and prosecuting senior leaders and mid-level operatives” of the Haqqani Network and LeT.
India on Tuesday sought investigations into North Korea’s nuclear proliferation linkages and asked to hold accountable those responsible for it, in a veiled reference to Pakistan. External affairs minister Sushma Swaraj’s remarks came days after North Korea fired another mid-range ballistic missile over Japan on Friday. HTC