Not being fired: Haqqani

October 14, 2009 01:14 am | Updated 01:14 am IST - Islamabad

Pakistan’s Ambassador to the U.S. Hussain Haqqani has said he has not been fired and “doesn’t expect to be”, due to an ongoing controversy over stringent conditions attached to American aid to be provided under the Kerry-Lugar bill.

“I serve at the pleasure of the President and Prime Minister of Pakistan and will follow any instructions I’ve been given...So far I’ve not been asked to alter my responsibilities nor have any questions been raised about my conduct,” said Mr. Haqqani.

In an interview with the website of a leading U.S. magazine, Mr. Haqqani made it clear that he had not been fired and “doesn’t expect to be”, due to the fallout in Pakistan over the Kerry-Lugar bill, which envisages providing $7.5 billion in aid over five years.

The Pakistan Army has expressed “serious concern” about condition attached to the U.S. aid that it claims could affect the country’s security interests.

Opposition parties have criticised the Pakistan People’s Party-led government’s efforts to endorse the bill without seeking changes in the conditions.

0 / 0
Sign in to unlock member-only benefits!
  • Access 10 free stories every month
  • Save stories to read later
  • Access to comment on every story
  • Sign-up/manage your newsletter subscriptions with a single click
  • Get notified by email for early access to discounts & offers on our products
Sign in

Comments

Comments have to be in English, and in full sentences. They cannot be abusive or personal. Please abide by our community guidelines for posting your comments.

We have migrated to a new commenting platform. If you are already a registered user of The Hindu and logged in, you may continue to engage with our articles. If you do not have an account please register and login to post comments. Users can access their older comments by logging into their accounts on Vuukle.