The US cannot let the Taliban overrun Pakistan but the militancy-infested country has to meet certain standards and expectations in lieu of the massive USD 7.5 billion in aid being given to it under the Kerry-Lugar bill, a top American Senator has said.
"We are actually in the mood of helping Pakistan because it's a nuclear power; they're allies; we want to make sure that they're solid. We know that they're being attacked by the Taliban," Congressman Orrin Hatch, a senior member of the Senate Finance Committee, told MSNBC.
"The Taliban's a vicious, awful organisation, and we just can't let them overrun Pakistan. If we did, the whole world would be unsettled," he said.
When asked about the civilian aid to be given to Pakistan through the Kerry-Lugar bill which has been signed into law, Mr Hatch, who also serves on the Senate Health and Intelligence Committees, said there is no question that the United States needs to help Islamabad.
"You know, we don't just give away seven billion bucks or thereabouts without some sort of -- some sort of expectations that -- you know, that they have to live up to certain standards," the Republican Senator said.
