NADEEM MALIK: Return of the Sanctions

Return of the Sanctions

Nadeem Malik

Draft bill calls for a bar on preferential import of goods and services from Pakistan and reducing aid to just 10% of available funds unless Pakistan re-opens the Nato supply route and extends cooperation.

The House Armed Services Committee approved a draft of the National Defense Authorisation Act early Thursday morning. The draft bill calls for a bar on preferential import of goods and services from Pakistan and reducing aid to just 10% of available funds unless Pakistan re-opens the Nato supply route and extends cooperation.

"This section would amend section 801 of the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2010 (Public Law 111-84) relating to temporary authority... to acquire products and services produced in countries along a major route of supply to the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan. This section would extend the authority through December 31, 2014. This section would also expand the authority under section 801 to acquire products or services to be used by U.S. and coalition forces in Afghanistan, subject to a determination by the Secretary of Defense that such products or services will be acquired from a country that has agreed to allow the retrograde of coalition personnel, equipment, and supplies from Afghanistan. This section would prohibit the preferential procurement of goods or services from the Islamic Republic of Pakistan until such time as the Government of Pakistan re-opens the ground lines of communication through Pakistan in support of coalition operations in Afghanistan. Finally, this section would repeal an expired reporting requirement.
The committee believes these changes are necessitated by the continued reliance on the Northern Distribution Network (NDN) and encourages the Secretary of Defense to use the expanded authority to increase the capacity of the NDN.

http://armedservices.house.gov/index.cfm/files/serve?File_id=e7c34102-53e4-455a-b345-358f3e99e8cc

Two sanctions-type bills introduced in the US House Appropriations subcommittee for State and Foreign Operations and Armed Services Committee indicate return of tensions between Pakistan and United States rising and the approach is not very... different from what we have witnessed after withdrawal of Soviet Union from Afghanistan in 1989 in the shape of Pressler and other amendments that blocked any progress in bilateral relations throughout the 90s. It was actually the 9/11 that revived US interests and Pakistan was frontline ally once again, as it was in the Jihad days. maybe something to think about in Washington and Islamabad what we achieved in the past and what we hope to get this time around. Chicago Summit on May 20-21 should put the right foot forward.