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| Pak accepts Indian flood aid under US pressure | | | EARLY TIMES REPORT
JAMMU, Aug 21: When on August 13 India's Foreign Minister, S.M. Krishna, offered a five million dollar aid to Pakistan for flood relief there was no response from Islamabad.
Pakistan's foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, offered no reaction when Krishna conveyed to him on telephone about India's offer. For about a week Pakistan remained silent because it had not decided whether to accept the Indian offer or not. In fact the opinion among those who matter in Islamabad was against accepting the aid offer from India on the plea that since Pakistan considered India it's enemy it would be politically and morally wrong for it to accept any aid.
Pakistan continued to dither on the acceptance or rejection of the Indian aid despite the fact that 20 million Pakistanis have been affected by floods. And it was after exactly one week that Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Shah Mehmood Qureshi, now on visit to the United States, announced Pakistan's readiness to accept the Indian aid for flood relief. He went to the extent of thanking profusely the Government of India in general and his Indian counterpart, S.M. Krishna, in particular for the offer.
Well Islamabad announced to accept the Indian aid of five million dollars not out of any compulsion or love for India but under strict suggestion from the US Government. Reports said that Qureshi was advised by the US top administration that Pakistan should accept the Indian aid for flood relief. According to these reports, the US authorities told Qureshi that Islamabad should accept the aid for flood relief work as there was "no role for politics in disaster." Qureshi was told in clear terms that while responding to the flood disaster politics should play no role.
It was after Qureshi received the signal from the US authorities that he announced acceptance of the aid from India and appreciated the gesture of the Government of India. Yes, Islamabad cannot afford to displease Washington. Pakistan cannot reject or turn down any suggestion or advice it receives from the US Government because of continued and total dependence on the American military and non-military aid.
Soon after Pakistan was hit by severe flood the US Government was the first to announce heavy funds for flood relief and rehabilitation work. Even after committing itself to provided 150 million dollar aid to Pakistan for flood relief Washington announced to set up another fund for flood relief. The announcement was made by Hillary Clinton, US secretary of state. She has appealed to the Americans to donate liberally to the flood relief fund which was to be sent to Pakistan where the loss to property and to lives has been massive. She said more and more aid was required for relief and rehabilitation work.
Well Washington's eagerness to provide all possible military and non-military aid to Islamabad and latter's "yes boss" attitude is a two-way traffic. For Washington it is necessary to keep Islamabad in good humour so that Pakistan not only joins hands with the American forces in their war against terrorism but also had no reservation in allowing the US to set up military bases in certain areas in Pakistan. It was equally important for Islamabad to obey Washington which alone could allow Pakistan to receive heavy military and non-military aid from the US Government.
In this two-way traffic Washington, at times, has ignored protests lodged by Delhi against heavy American military aid to Pakistan on the pla that the weapons and ammunition that Pakistan received from the US Government would be used against India. No doubt Washington wants help from Islamabad for eliminating the menace of terrorism in Afghanistan and Pakistan it has not paid as much heed as was needed to Delhi's pleas for persuading Islamabad to stop aiding militants, infiltration and for preventing the soil of Pakistan from being used for exporting terror to India. And had Washington been very serious about it by now there would have been major improvement in the terrorist-related violence in Jammu and Kashmir and in other Indian states. This calls for review of Washington's policy on South Asian region. |
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