Congress questions aid to Pakistan

The US Congress might decide to cut the almost $1.3 billion in annual aid to Pakistan if it turns out the Pakistan government knew where Osama bin Laden was hiding, the head of the Senate Intelligence Committee said on Tuesday. Senator Dianne Feinstein said she wanted more details from Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) Director Leon Panetta and others about the Islamabad’s role. Feinstein spoke to reporters about the raid that killed bin Laden early on Monday and the questions raised by his hiding place deep inside Pakistan.
The No 2 House Democratic leader, Representative Steny Hoyer of Maryland, said if Pakistan did not ease doubts about its dedication to fighting terrorists, Congress should explore whether it made sense to reduce US aid to that country. Incredulous lawmakers are pressing Pakistan for answers to two questions: What did its army and intelligence agents know of bin Laden’s whereabouts and when did they know it?
“I think this tells us once again that, unfortunately, Pakistan at times is playing a double game,” said Senator Susan Collins, a Senate Armed Services Committee member who indicated that Congress could put limits on funds for Pakistan. “The US provides billions of dollars in aid to Pakistan. Before we send another dime, we need to know whether Pakistan truly stands with us in the fight against terrorism,” said Senator Frank Lautenberg, who sits on a key committee with control over foreign aid.
But another Republican member of the panel dismissed that idea. “For those who want to cut off aid to Pakistan, I understand your frustration,” said Senator Lindsey Graham. “But at the end of the day, if you want to create a failed state in Pakistan, one of the best things to do is sever relationships. It is not in our national security interest to let this one event destroy what is a difficult partnership but a partnership nonetheless.”
The comments were echoed by the White House. “We are working very hard on that relationship. It is an important and complicated relationship that has been tested in many ways over the years and even this year,” White House Spokesman Jay Carney said. Senate Foreign Relations Committee Chairman John Kerry said candid conversations with the Pakistanis were necessary but it would be a mistake to forget “we’ve had people on the ground tracking this. There’s some degree of assistance and cooperation of the Pakistanis.”
Senator John McCain, the top Republican on the Senate Armed Services Committee, cautioned against pushing Pakistan away. Pakistan’s nuclear arms would be a direct threat to US national security, he said, if those weapons fell into the wrong hands. Senator Bob Corker, a member of the Foreign Relations Committee, sent a letter to Secretary of State Hillary Clinton seeking details on the level of cooperation from Pakistan, questioning whether Pakistan had knowledge of bin Laden’s whereabouts and did not share it.
Meanwhile, John Brennan, White House counterterrorism adviser, said there was no evidence Pakistani officials knew bin Laden was living at a compound deep inside the country, but the US was not ruling out the possibility.
“Yes, there are differences of view. Yes, there are times that we want to be more aggressive. We take into account their considerations. But Pakistan is a strong counterterrorism partner,” he said.He said the administration was looking at whether bin Laden had a support. system in Pakistan that allowed him to remain in the country, adding that there clearly “was some kind of support network that provided him assistance”. “Whether or not those were individuals inside the Pakistani government is unknown at this point,” he said.
“They (Pakistani officials) are expressing as great a surprise as we had when we first learned about this compound, so there is no indication at this point that the people we have talked to were aware of this, but we need to dig deeper into this,” Brennan said in an interview with National Public Radio. Asked whether officials in Pakistan’s military might have known about Osama’s presence in the compound, Brennan said it was possible.
“I think it would be premature to rule out the possibility that there were some individuals inside of Pakistan, including within the official Pakistani establishment, who might have been aware of this, but we’re not accusing anybody at this point.” Brennan said it appeared that Osama had lived for the past five to six years in the compound in Abbottabad and was in contact with some senior al Qaeda officials.
He also said the US was continuing to pursue Ayman al-Zawahiri, al Qaeda’s chief organiser and the possible successor to Osama, but refused to say what country he was in. Brennan also said the US was considering whether to release photographs and video taken during the raid, but had not yet made a decision. He said the US was eager to learn from the material about the circumstances of Osama’s residence in Abbottabad.
“The exploitation of the information is ongoing,” Brennan said. British Prime Minister David Cameron also said Britain would ask “searching questions” of Pakistan about bin Laden’s death, but added that Islamabad remained a key ally in fighting terrorism.
French Foreign Minister Alain Juppe also said on Tuesday that the fact that bin Laden went completely unnoticed before he was killed showed that Pakistan’s position on the al Qaeda leader lacked clarity.
“I find it a little difficult to imagine that the presence of someone like bin Laden in a big compound in a relatively small town could go completely unnoticed,” Juppe said. China hailed bin Laden’s death and defended Pakistan. “The Pakistani government’s determination to fight terrorism is staunch and its actions have been vigorous. Pakistan has made important contributions to the international struggle against terror,” Chinese Foreign Ministry spokeswoman Jiang Yu said.