Big blow to Pak! US introduces bill to terminate Pakistan as a Major non-NATO ally

Washington DC, January 04: Giving a major setback to Pakistan, US lawmaker  has introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives to terminate the designation of Pakistan as a Major non-NATO Ally.

 

The bill has been introduced on the first day of the 117th Congress, by a Republican Congressman Andy Biggs.

 

 

 

Taking to the social media and he said, "On the first day of the 117th Congress, my staff and I have hit the ground running, working hard for the great people of #AZ05. " He further tweeted, "Today, I reintroduced 28 bills that keep the promises I've made to my constituents and help to reduce the size and scope of the federal government."

 

 

 

 

The bill also notes that the US President cannot issue a separate designation of Pakistan as a major NATO ally unless a presidential certification that Pakistan continues to conduct military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the haven and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network in Pakistan.

 

 

 

 

The bill further seeks a presidential certification that Pakistan has taken steps to demonstrate its commitment to preventing the Haqqani Network from using any Pakistani territory as a haven and that the Pak government actively coordinates with Afghanistan to restrict the movement of militants, such as the Haqqani Network, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border. The bill also asks the president to certify that Pakistan has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting Haqqani Network senior leaders and mid-level operatives.

 

This is not the first time earlier in 2017, US Representatives Ted Poe (R-TX) and Rick Nolan (D-MN)also introduced a bill to revoke Pakistan's position as an MNNA, citing inadequate counterterrorism efforts, the harboring of Osama bin Laden and Pakistani support for the Taliban.

 

In 2017, General Joseph Dunford, chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, accused Pakistan's Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) of having ties to terror groups.

 

 

Major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the United States government to close allies that have strategic working relationships with the US Armed Forces but are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

 

It should be noted that the Bush Administration gave the designation to Pakistan in 2004. Pakistan was the fifth Islamic country to receive the title. The non-NATO ally is status allows for various benefits such as access to excess US defense supplies and participation in cooperative defense research.

 

It also gives them access to War Reserve Stocks of DoD-owned equipment that are kept outside of American military bases, offers them loans of equipment and material for cooperative research and development projects and evaluations, and permission to use American financing for the purchase or lease of certain defense equipment. The designation among other things expedites export processing of space technology and permission for the country's corporations to bid on certain DoD contracts for the repair and maintenance of military equipment outside the United States

 

President Trump January 2018 suspended all financial and security assistance to Pakistan.