Denouncing Pakistan’s hostility towards American military assistance, a powerful US lawmaker today said Islamabad should know that the aid is not a gift but being given to them for a specific purpose.
“If Pakistan doesn’t want us as a partner, that’s up to them. But should they take such a decision, they should do so knowing full well that our military assistance, advanced technology and intelligence cooperation are not gifts, but the specific consequences of our cooperation,” said Congressman Gary Ackerman.
Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on the Middle East and South Asia, Ackerman said Pakistan should be aware that these things are not reserved for them and that US interests in South Asia are not limited to just Pakistan.
“We don’t sell F-16s and Harpoon missiles to just anyone,” he said, responding to the news reports from Pakistan that the Pakistani army is averse to the conditions being imposed in lieu of the military aid.
“If the people of Pakistan really don’t want our assistance; if they don’t want to be our partner in establishing a truly secure and harmonious region; if, after so much effort and sacrifice by our two countries working together, they still don’t even believe that we wish them well -- and, worse, are prepared to say so only days after the United States Congress made an unprecedented commitment of long-term assistance -- then I suppose we need to face the truth sooner than later,” Ackerman said.
