WASHINGTON: A US congressman known for his aversion to Pakistan on Thursday presented a strongly worded bill in Congress to declare Pakistan "unreliable ally" a "state sponsor of terrorism", media reports said.
"Not only is Pakistan an unreliable ally, Islamabad has also helped and abetted enemies of the US for years," said congressman Ted Poe, who is chair of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism.
"From harboring Osama bin Laden to his cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough to determine that whose side Pakistan is in the war on terrorism. And it's not America's. It is the time we stop paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a state Sponsor of terrorism," Poe said in the introduction of the bill, the Pakistan state Sponsor of Terrorism Act of 2015, in Congress on Thursday.
The bill requires the president of the United States to issue a report within 90 days to answer whether Pakistan has supported international terrorism. Thirty days after that Secretary of State must submit a follow-up report, which says that Pakistan is a state sponsor of terrorism or a detailed justification of why it does not meet the legal criteria for such designation.
The same bill was introduced in Congress last year when the Obama administration was passing its last days and there was no time to discuss and formally convince Congress why the United States should continue to consider Pakistan as an ally in war Against terrorism.
Waseem Abbasi adds: Contrary to the perception created by some think tanks, the commander of the Central Command of the United States (CENTCOM) applauded the cooperation of the Pakistani military with the US military in recent anti-terrorist operations throughout The Afghan border.
Read More: Marking Pakistan As A Sponsor Of Terror 'Deeply Unwise'
In responding to the senators' questions here, Gen. Joseph Votel also admitted that the Afghan government is losing control over areas in the face of mounting the Taliban fight. He said Pakistan's army took action against major US adversaries recently. Some India supporting think tanks in Washington have recently increased their efforts to convince the White House to review their ties with Pakistan arguing that the South Asian country is not doing enough to help the US in Afghanistan."They (Pakistan Army) did things against our main concerns like Taliban and the Haqqani network. We have to be more consistent and focused in that area. We will continue to engage with Pakistan," he said in a hearing before the Senate Armed Services Committee.
He admitted that the Afghan government has lost control of almost half of the country after recent fighting. When asked why the Afghan government, which had control over 70 percent of the country just a year ago now control only 50 percent, Votel said it was the result "of the fighting taking place in the country and efforts of Taliban to become more resurgent".
The general also appreciated the leadership of the Pakistan Army, saying that recent meetings with Chief of Army Staff General Qamar Javed Bajwa were encouraging. "The American commander in Afghanistan, General Nicholson, had recently been supported in some operations along the border," he said while referring to the Pakistani army. "It's a very positive sign," he said.
Centcom's commander expressed concern about the recent escalation of tensions between Pakistan and Afghanistan, and undermine the importance of the ties between the two countries for the success of the United States mission. He said the United States must play a key role in bringing Pakistan and Afghanistan together.
Senators also discussed Russia's efforts to destabilize and weaken Afghanistan. When asked about sanctuaries across the Afghanistan border for the Haqqani network and the Taliban, Votel said he has talked with Pakistani military leaders who showed an increasing interest in cooperating with the coalition and Kabul along the border.
He said that despite challenges regarding the relationship between the United States and Pakistan, US forces have struggled to maintain a considerable level of engagement to their Pakistani military counterparts. "We continue to run a solid program of joint exercises. Most recently, the Pakistani Air Force sent airmen and aircraft to participate in the red flag and green flag at the Nellis Air Force base in Nevada last summer," He said.
Votel said the Pakistani army continues to support US efforts in the rest of the region. "The most notable is that the Pakistani Navy is the most consistent and longstanding participant second only to the United States, in Combined Task Force (CTF)-150 (counter-terrorism operations) and CTF-151 (counter-piracy operations) led by US Naval Forces Central (USNAVCENT)."
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