Bill moved in US Senate to sanction foreign governments, including Pakistan

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Bill moved in US Senate to sanction Taliban, supporters
Sanctions could extend to foreign governments, including Pakistan, that US believes were and are supporting Taliban

KARACHI:
A group of high-profile US senators – including a former presidential nominee – has moved a bill in the US Senate seeking imposition of sanctions on the Afghan Taliban that could also potentially extend to Pakistan. The bill, titled ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’, triggered an angry rebuke from a senior member of Pakistan’s cabinet.

The 22 lawmakers, all from the Republican Party, introduced the bill on Monday that requires “the imposition of sanctions with respect to the Taliban and persons assisting the Taliban in Afghanistan, and for other purposes.”

The proposed legislation also seeks to review and suspend assistance to and potentially impose sanctions on any foreign government the US believes was or is supporting the Taliban. It singles out Pakistan by name in the section that calls for a report on “entities providing support for the Taliban”.

The bill was introduced by Senator Jim Risch, the representative for the state of Idaho and a ranking member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has previously co-sponsored acts imposing sanctions on Turkey and making it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The bill was co-sponsored by 21 other senators, including Mitt Romney, who ran against former president Barack Obama during his re-election bid, and Marco Rubio, who lost out in the primaries for the 2016 US presidential election.

Pakistan singled out
Although the bill sponsors say it is primarily aimed at addressing the “outstanding issues related to the Biden administration’s rushed and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” a significant portion is aimed at imposing punitive measures against the Taliban and those the US concludes supported and enabled them.

Official press releases published on websites of some of the bill’s sponsors stated that the bill seeks to “establish a State Department task force to focus on the evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents, and Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) still stuck in Afghanistan; impose oversight mechanisms on the processing of SIVs and refugees; require strategies for counterterrorism and for the disposition of Taliban-captured US equipment; sanction the Taliban and others in Afghanistan for terrorism, drug-trafficking, and human rights abuses; authorise sanctions on those providing support to the Taliban, including foreign governments supporting the Taliban; call for a comprehensive review of foreign assistance to entities that support the Taliban; [and] place restrictions on non-humanitarian foreign assistance to Afghanistan.”

Regarding foreign governments and non-state groups, the bill itself states “the Secretary of State, in consultation with the appropriate congressional committees, shall conduct a comprehensive review of all forms of United States foreign assistance provided to or through the government of any country or any organisation providing any form of material support to the Taliban.”

In a separate section, it adds “the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on entities providing support to the Taliban.”

Pertaining to Pakistan, the bill elaborates that “the first report… shall include – (1) an assessment of support by state and non- state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020, including the provision of sanctuary space, financial support, intelligence support, logistics and medical support, training, equipping, and tactical, operational, or strategic direction; (2) an assessment of support by state and non- state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the 2021 offensive of the Taliban that toppled the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan… (3) an assessment of support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the September 2021 offensive of the Taliban against the Panjshir Valley and the Afghan resistance.”

Angry rebuke
Lashing out at the bill on Twitter, Pakistan’s Human Rights minister said: “So again Pakistan will be made to pay heavy price for being an ally of US in its "War on Terror" as a bill is introduced in US Senate in aftermath of the US's chaotic Afghan withdrawal followed by collapse of ANA and Ashraf Ghani's flight to UAE.”

“Twenty years of presence by economically and militarily powerful US & NATO left behind chaos with no stable governance structures. Pakistan now being scapegoated for this failure. This was never our war; we suffered 80,000 casualties, a decimated economy, over 450 drone attacks by our US ‘ally’ and disastrous fallout of these attacks on our tribal people and area,” she said in another tweet.

“US Senate should do serious introspection: Where did $2 trillion disappear? Why did the heavily-invested-in ANA simply dissolve? Who asked Pakistan to free TTA [Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan] leadership? Who signed Doha agreement with TTA and hosted them in DC?” the minister urged. “Enough is enough. It is time for those powers who were present in Afghanistan to look to their own failures instead of targeting Pakistan which paid a heavy price in lives lost, social and economic costs, refugees – all for being an ally and suffering constant abuse, in a war that wasn’t ours.”

Pressure tactics
Speaking to The Express Tribune, analysts said the bill was an attempt to put both Pakistan and the Taliban under pressure, and yet another sign that the US relationship with Pakistan was purely transactional.

“We should think about our future transactions with Washington before signing up for them,” said Dr Talat Wizarat, former chairperson of Department of International Relations, University of Karachi. “I think, senior US officials who are due in Islamabad are going to make some big demands, and they are trying to pressurise us by putting this bill before us. We should not fall into this trap again.”

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will travel next month to Pakistan, according to the State Department. Sherman, after CIA chief Bill Burns, will be one of the first high-level officials under President Biden to visit Pakistan where she will meet senior officials on October 7-8.
According to defence analyst Inamul Haque, the inclusion of Pakistan in the bill by name could be a way to caution both Islamabad and the Taliban. “It could be a message to the Taliban. If you think you can survive without our support, we can cut off your supporters too,” he said. “Not just that, it may be a message for China and Russia as well.”

That said, Inam mainly saw domestic politics at play with the bill. “Sentiments in the US are very negative at the moment. The people are angry, as are many in the government and deep state. The American defeat is a very big disgrace for a superpower and it is very hard for them to gulp it down,” he said.

“In that respect, this bill and associated proceedings are mainly a way to satisfy those frustrations.”

Given that the Republican senators sponsored the bill, Inam also agreed that it could be an attempt to pile more pressure on Biden. Even so, he did not rule out other influences at play. “We cannot discount Indian influence, by way of their media misinformation, diaspora and the Indian caucus. The reference to Panjshir may be a ploy to put pressure, but could even be on account of some senators who bought the Indian misinformation,” he said.

Both Wizarat and Inam agreed that any sanctions on Pakistan were likely to make little difference this time around. “We survived the 90s, when we were really dependent on the US. Now not so much. Any sanctions now will have serious implications for residual US influence in the region instead,” Inam said.

Wizarat said that US decision-makers are about to make the same mistake they made in the 80s. “I can only say we are not living in that era anymore. Washington needs to take Pakistan very seriously and this relationship can no longer be the way it has been for decades.”

She added that Pakistan’s relationship with the US has always been weak and transactional. “They have always treated Pakistan as a disposable item in this transaction. I think Pakistan must go to its friends and allies now, and try to find a way around this without succumbing to US pressure.”

Re-evaluations in US
Speaking to VOA Deewa on Monday, Senator James Risch, who introduced the bill in the Senate, said that there have “already been lengthy discussions between the administration and the Congressional people as to what our role in Afghanistan and Pakistan is going to be going forward.”

“We’ve got a long relationship with Pakistan, not all of it particularly pleasant on our side. I’ve met personally with part of the administration in Pakistan and both of us agreed there were things each of us could and couldn’t do because of our domestic politics,” he claimed. The senator added that at present, the US administration is “hammering out where they want to go” and “I think it will take some meetings between the secretary of state, others and the Pakistani government to see what we could do that is in the best interests of both.”

His comments came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced earlier this month that the US is going to be looking at its ties with Pakistan in the coming weeks to formulate the role it wants Islamabad to play in the future of Afghanistan. “We are going to be looking at in the days and weeks ahead, the role that Pakistan has played over the last 20 years, but also the role that we would want to see it playing in the coming years,” he told Congress on September 14.

On the topic of US recognising the Taliban, Senator Risch said, “my recommendation to the administration is we wait and see, how they perform before we give any recognition at all." Regarding China opting to recognise the Taliban government, he said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if China does represent the Taliban. Their views on human rights are not that far off. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if China plays an active role in trying to influence and exert some control over Afghanistan.”

(With additional reporting by Hammad Sarfraz)
https://tribune.com.pk/story/2322439/bill-moved-in-us-senate-to-sanction-taliban-supporters

 

[moghul]

Not going to pass, no way . They don't care about Pakistan but there is no gain for US in slamming these sanction on Pakistan . US still needs Pakistan's support, perhaps now more than ever.

 

[Afzal_K]

Kaha gaya Mushy baba

 

[Napa]

Not going to pass, no way . They don't care about Pakistan but there is no gain for US in slamming these sanction on Pakistan . US still needs Pakistan's support, perhaps now more than ever.

Now that the US has exited Afghanistan and doesn't need land access through Pakistan, why would now need Pakistan "perhaps now more than ever"?

 

[ahsan17]

It doesn't say anything about sanctioning. It's just to produce a report. Basically like most things in the US, it's just for optics and nothing practical.

 

[BreadPakoda]

It doesn't say anything about sanctioning. It's just to produce a report. Basically like most things in the US, it's just for optics and nothing practical.

Agree. Anyone who lives in the US knows how this works (or doesn’t).

 

[ahsan17]

Agree. Anyone who lives in the US knows how this works (or doesn’t).

And the optics part is just tip of the iceberg. This is largely a republican driven bill and we know how that works in the US. For people on either side getting a heartburn or an erection over this, just pump the breaks.

 

[Itachi]

Supporting taliban will cost Pakistan eventually. But since US Pakistan relationship is at all time low, it shouldn't make much of a difference. Pakistan has changed its master anyway.

 

[Napa]

Supporting taliban will cost Pakistan eventually. But since US Pakistan relationship is at all time low, it shouldn't make much of a difference. Pakistan has changed its master anyway.

The power of the West at this point is economic, and the sale of advanced weapons. Western FDI is needed to develop modern industries. As Pakistan already gets near zero Western FDI, there isn't going to be any immediate impact, but in the longer term it means Western FDI will not increase. The conditions for Western FDI have been getting worse with time.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2320714/fdi-falls-20-to-203m-in-jul-aug

 

[b.lesner]

A group of high-profile US senators – including a former presidential nominee – has moved a bill in the US Senate seeking imposition of sanctions on the Afghan Taliban that could also potentially extend to Pakistan. The bill, titled ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’, triggered an angry rebuke from a senior member of Pakistan’s cabinet.

The 22 lawmakers, all from the Republican Party, introduced the bill on Monday that requires “the imposition of sanctions with respect to the Taliban and persons assisting the Taliban in Afghanistan, and for other purposes.”

The proposed legislation also seeks to review and suspend assistance to and potentially impose sanctions on any foreign government the US believes was or is supporting the Taliban. It singles out Pakistan by name in the section that calls for a report on “entities providing support for the Taliban”.

The bill was introduced by Senator Jim Risch, the representative for the state of Idaho and a ranking member of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee who has previously co-sponsored acts imposing sanctions on Turkey and making it a federal crime for Americans to encourage or participate in boycotts against Israel and Israeli settlements in the West Bank.

The bill was co-sponsored by 21 other senators, including Mitt Romney, who ran against former president Barack Obama during his re-election bid, and Marco Rubio, who lost out in the primaries for the 2016 US presidential election.

Pakistan singled out

Although the bill sponsors say it is primarily aimed at addressing the “outstanding issues related to the Biden administration’s rushed and disastrous withdrawal from Afghanistan,” a significant portion is aimed at imposing punitive measures against the Taliban and those the US concludes supported and enabled them.

Official press releases published on websites of some of the bill’s sponsors stated that the bill seeks to “establish a State Department task force to focus on the evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents, and Afghan Special Immigrant Visas (SIVs) still stuck in Afghanistan; impose oversight mechanisms on the processing of SIVs and refugees; require strategies for counterterrorism and for the disposition of Taliban-captured US equipment; sanction the Taliban and others in Afghanistan for terrorism, drug-trafficking, and human rights abuses; authorise sanctions on those providing support to the Taliban, including foreign governments supporting the Taliban; call for a comprehensive review of foreign assistance to entities that support the Taliban; [and] place restrictions on non-humanitarian foreign assistance to Afghanistan.”

Regarding foreign governments and non-state groups, the bill itself states “the Secretary of State, in consultation with the appropriate congressional committees, shall conduct a comprehensive review of all forms of United States foreign assistance provided to or through the government of any country or any organisation providing any form of material support to the Taliban.”

In a separate section, it adds “the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on entities providing support to the Taliban.”

Pertaining to Pakistan, the bill elaborates that “the first report… shall include – (1) an assessment of support by state and non- state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020, including the provision of sanctuary space, financial support, intelligence support, logistics and medical support, training, equipping, and tactical, operational, or strategic direction; (2) an assessment of support by state and non- state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the 2021 offensive of the Taliban that toppled the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan… (3) an assessment of support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the September 2021 offensive of the Taliban against the Panjshir Valley and the Afghan resistance.”

Angry rebuke

Lashing out at the bill on Twitter, Pakistan’s Human Rights minister said: “So again Pakistan will be made to pay heavy price for being an ally of US in its "War on Terror" as a bill is introduced in US Senate in aftermath of the US's chaotic Afghan withdrawal followed by collapse of ANA and Ashraf Ghani's flight to UAE.”

“Twenty years of presence by economically and militarily powerful US & NATO left behind chaos with no stable governance structures. Pakistan now being scapegoated for this failure. This was never our war; we suffered 80,000 casualties, a decimated economy, over 450 drone attacks by our US ‘ally’ and disastrous fallout of these attacks on our tribal people and area,” she said in another tweet.

“US Senate should do serious introspection: Where did $2 trillion disappear? Why did the heavily-invested-in ANA simply dissolve? Who asked Pakistan to free TTA [Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan] leadership? Who signed Doha agreement with TTA and hosted them in DC?” the minister urged. “Enough is enough. It is time for those powers who were present in Afghanistan to look to their own failures instead of targeting Pakistan which paid a heavy price in lives lost, social and economic costs, refugees – all for being an ally and suffering constant abuse, in a war that wasn’t ours.”

Pressure tactics

Speaking to The Express Tribune, analysts said the bill was an attempt to put both Pakistan and the Taliban under pressure, and yet another sign that the US relationship with Pakistan was purely transactional.

“We should think about our future transactions with Washington before signing up for them,” said Dr Talat Wizarat, former chairperson of Department of International Relations, University of Karachi. “I think, senior US officials who are due in Islamabad are going to make some big demands, and they are trying to pressurise us by putting this bill before us. We should not fall into this trap again.”

US Deputy Secretary of State Wendy Sherman will travel next month to Pakistan, according to the State Department. Sherman, after CIA chief Bill Burns, will be one of the first high-level officials under President Biden to visit Pakistan where she will meet senior officials on October 7-8.

Also read: Taliban govt warns US against ‘invading Afghan airspace’

According to defence analyst Inamul Haque, the inclusion of Pakistan in the bill by name could be a way to caution both Islamabad and the Taliban. “It could be a message to the Taliban. If you think you can survive without our support, we can cut off your supporters too,” he said. “Not just that, it may be a message for China and Russia as well.”

That said, Inam mainly saw domestic politics at play with the bill. “Sentiments in the US are very negative at the moment. The people are angry, as are many in the government and deep state. The American defeat is a very big disgrace for a superpower and it is very hard for them to gulp it down,” he said.

“In that respect, this bill and associated proceedings are mainly a way to satisfy those frustrations.”

Given that the Republican senators sponsored the bill, Inam also agreed that it could be an attempt to pile more pressure on Biden. Even so, he did not rule out other influences at play. “We cannot discount Indian influence, by way of their media misinformation, diaspora and the Indian caucus. The reference to Panjshir may be a ploy to put pressure, but could even be on account of some senators who bought the Indian misinformation,” he said.

Both Wizarat and Inam agreed that any sanctions on Pakistan were likely to make little difference this time around. “We survived the 90s, when we were really dependent on the US. Now not so much. Any sanctions now will have serious implications for residual US influence in the region instead,” Inam said.

Wizarat said that US decision-makers are about to make the same mistake they made in the 80s. “I can only say we are not living in that era anymore. Washington needs to take Pakistan very seriously and this relationship can no longer be the way it has been for decades.”

She added that Pakistan’s relationship with the US has always been weak and transactional. “They have always treated Pakistan as a disposable item in this transaction. I think Pakistan must go to its friends and allies now, and try to find a way around this without succumbing to US pressure.”

Re-evaluations in US

Speaking to VOA Deewa on Monday, Senator James Risch, who introduced the bill in the Senate, said that there have “already been lengthy discussions between the administration and the Congressional people as to what our role in Afghanistan and Pakistan is going to be going forward.”

“We’ve got a long relationship with Pakistan, not all of it particularly pleasant on our side. I’ve met personally with part of the administration in Pakistan and both of us agreed there were things each of us could and couldn’t do because of our domestic politics,” he claimed. The senator added that at present, the US administration is “hammering out where they want to go” and “I think it will take some meetings between the secretary of state, others and the Pakistani government to see what we could do that is in the best interests of both.”

His comments came after US Secretary of State Antony Blinken announced earlier this month that the US is going to be looking at its ties with Pakistan in the coming weeks to formulate the role it wants Islamabad to play in the future of Afghanistan. “We are going to be looking at in the days and weeks ahead, the role that Pakistan has played over the last 20 years, but also the role that we would want to see it playing in the coming years,” he told Congress on September 14.

On the topic of US recognising the Taliban, Senator Risch said, “my recommendation to the administration is we wait and see, how they perform before we give any recognition at all." Regarding China opting to recognise the Taliban government, he said, “I wouldn’t be surprised if China does represent the Taliban. Their views on human rights are not that far off. I wouldn’t be surprised at all if China plays an active role in trying to influence and exert some control over Afghanistan.”

 

[MenInG]

Top US generals are claiming that they had warned US President Joe Biden that a rushed withdrawal from Afghanistan could increase risks to Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and the country’s security.

“We estimated an accelerated withdrawal would increase risks of regional instability, the security of Pakistan and its nuclear arsenals,” Chairman of the Joint Chief General Mark Milley told the Senate Armed Services Committee on Tuesday.

“We need to fully examine the role of Pakistan sanctuary,” the general said, while emphasising the need to probe how the Taliban withstood US military pressure for 20 years.

General Milley and General Frank McKenzie, the leader of US Central Command, also warned that the Taliban Pakistan will now have to deal with would be different from the one they dealt with earlier, and this would complicate their relations.

“I believe Pakistan's relationship with the Taliban is going to become significantly more complicated as a result of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan,” General McKenzie told the lawmakers.

Vital air corridor
The Centcom chief also said that the US and Pakistan were involved in ongoing negotiations over the use of a vital air corridor to access Afghanistan.

“Over the last 20 years we've been able to use what we call the air boulevard to go in over western Pakistan and that's become something that’s vital to us, as well as certain landlines of communication,” he said.

“And we'll be working with the Pakistanis in the days and weeks ahead to look at what that relationship is going to look like in the future.”

Read: Pakistan will ‘absolutely not’ allow bases to US for action in Afghanistan: PM Imran

Both generals, however, declined to discuss more on their concerns about Pakistan’s nuclear weapons and the potential that they could fall into the hands of terrorists.

They said they would discuss this and other sensitive issues in a closed session with the senators.

'Built a state, not a nation'
Earlier in the hearing, US Defence Secretary Lloyd Austin told the senators that while the US helped build a state, they failed to build the Afghan nation and that’s why they could not see the collapse that happened in mid-August.

Op-Ed: The Afghan state apparatus collapsed because it was artificially nurtured and pumped up by external stimuli

This was the first testimony by US generals before Congress since the US withdrawal from Afghanistan ended America's longest war.

“We helped build a state, but we could not forge a nation," said Secretary Austin, while responding to a question from the committee’s chairman Senator Jack Reed.

“We absolutely missed the rapid 11-day collapse of the Afghan military and the collapse of their government,” General Milley added.

“Most of (our) intelligence assessments indicated that would occur late fall, perhaps early winter; Kabul might hold till next spring.”

But he acknowledged that military assessments did indicate that the “likely outcome” of the US withdrawal from Afghanistan would be “a collapse of the military, a collapse of the government”.

'Uncomfortable truths'
Secretary Austin urged Americans to “consider some uncomfortable truths” before blaming anyone for the fall of Kabul.

“We did not fully comprehend the depth of corruption and poor leadership in their senior ranks, we did not grasp the damaging effect of frequent and unexplained rotations by president Ashraf Ghani of his commanders,” he added.

“We didn't anticipate the snowball effect caused by the deals that Taliban commanders struck with local leaders in the wake of the Doha agreement, and that the Doha agreement itself had a demoralising effect on Afghan soldiers.”

The Americans, he said, also failed to understand that Afghan soldiers did not have the motivation to fight for a corrupt government.

“We failed to fully grasp that there was only so much for which — and for whom — many of the Afghan forces would fight,” he said.

General Miley noted that the vast majority of Afghan troops “put their weapons down and melted away in a very, very short period of time.”

He too blamed the previous Afghan government for failing to inspire the soldiers.

“I think that has to do with leadership, and I think we still need to try to figure out exactly why that was. […] we clearly missed that.”

The top US general provided a 12 to 36 month timeline for terror groups such as Al-Qaeda or IS-K to reconstitute in "ungoverned spaces" and attempt to attack the US homeland.

Secretary Austin said the US still maintains "over the horizon" capabilities, which he defined as "assets and target analysis that occur outside the country in which the operation occurs".

General Milley acknowledged that the Afghanistan war did not end in the way the US wanted.

"It is clear — it is obvious — the war in Afghanistan did not end on the terms we wanted with the Taliban now in power in Kabul," he told the senators.

Claiming that the Taliban was and remains a terrorist organisation, the top US general said: “It remains to be seen whether or not the Taliban can consolidate power or if the country will further fracture into civil war.”

DAWN

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

The blame game from Americans for their botched withdrawal has started and Pakistan seems to be in their line of sight.
Do Pakistan have some good lobbyists in Washington to ride this tide ?

 

[Lonewarrior]

we learnt it hard way during the Pressler Amendment , so we are not gonna bog down if they sanction us, we knw its coming a decade ago, so what they gonna do ? Talk to Russia, China and Iran for Afghanistan's future issues ? well goodluck with that, its only Pakistan who can assist US after the withdrawal from Afghanistan, and no other country .....

IMO they are not gonna sanction us, its just a pressure tactics , so a Big Middle Finger to US from our side ..... Lol

 

[MenInG]

The Foreign Office on Wednesday responded to a draft bill tabled by US senators regarding a probe of the country’s withdrawal from Afghanistan and Pakistan's alleged support for the Taliban offensive, saying that the proposed legislation is “uncalled for and counterproductive”.

The FO spokesperson, Iftikhar Ahmad, issued a statement in response to media queries regarding Pakistan’s stance on the matter.

“We see that a debate is underway in Washington both in the media and on Capitol Hill to reflect on and examine the circumstances leading to the US withdrawal from Afghanistan. The draft legislation introduced in the US Senate by a group of Senate Republicans seems to be a reaction to this debate,” he said.

The spokesperson said that the legislation “includes references to Pakistan that are completely unwarranted”.

He said that Pakistan finds all such references “inconsistent with the spirit of Pakistan-US cooperation on Afghanistan since 2001, including facilitation of the Afghan peace process and during the recent evacuations of American and other nationals from Afghanistan”.

Ahmed stated for the record that Pakistan has consistently maintained that there is no military solution to the conflict in Afghanistan.

“Similarly, a coercive approach will not work and the only way to achieve long term sustainable peace in Afghanistan is through engagement and dialogue,” he added.

The spokesperson said that sustained security cooperation between Pakistan and the United States would “remain critical in dealing with any future terrorist threat in the region”.

“Such proposed legislative measures are, therefore, uncalled for and counterproductive.”

The proposed bill
American senators have tabled a bill in the US Senate, demanding a deeper investigation into the Taliban's victory in Afghanistan and sanctions on the group as well as those who assisted them in driving out the Ashraf Ghani-led regime.

The 'Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act' seeks to establish a task force that will focus on continued evacuation of American citizens, legal permanent residents and Special Immigrant Visa holders from Afghanistan.

Introduced by 22 American Republican senators, the bill seeks to tackle issues related to the Afghan withdrawal, such as counterterrorism strategies and sanctioning the Taliban for alleged human rights abuses in the country.

"Not later than 180 days after the date of the enactment of this Act, and not less frequently than annually thereafter, the Secretary of State, in consultation with the Secretary of Defense and the Director of National Intelligence, shall submit to the appropriate congressional committees a report on entities providing support to the Taliban," the bill read.

Non-state actors and Pakistan
It added that further assessment of "support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020, provision of sanctuary space, financial support, intelligence support, logistics and medical support, training, equipping, and tactical, operational, or strategic direction" should be held.

The bill seeks a probe into the "support by state and non-state actors, including the Government of Pakistan" for the 2021 Taliban offensive that helped topple the Afghan government led by Ashraf Ghani, adding that the areas to be probed are provision of sanctuary of space, intelligence support, financial support, logistics, training and medical support for the group.

The bill further seeks a probe into support for the Taliban allegedly by non-state actors and the government of Pakistan into the Panjshir Valley operation by the group and against their military offensives targeting the Afghan resistance.

"A detailed description of United States diplomatic and military activities undertaken to curtail support for the 2021 offensive of the Taliban that toppled the Government of the Islamic Republic of Afghanistan," it added.

'This was never our war, Pakistan being scapegoated'
Earlier in the day, Pakistan's Minister for Human Rights Shireen Mazari lashed out at the American legislators for tabling the bill, saying that once again, Islamabad was being punished for being America's ally in the War on Terror.

She said despite being in Afghanistan for 20 years, the US government has left behind "no stable governance structures".

"Pakistan now being scapegoated for this failure.This was never our war; we suffered 80,000 casualties, a dessimated economy, over 450 drone attacks by our US "ally"," she tweeted.

She asked the US to introspect, wondering whether the massive $2 trillion invested by the US had been spent.

"US Senate should do serious introspection: Where did $2 trillion disappear? Why did the heavily-invested-in ANA simply dissolve? Who asked Pakistan to free TTA (Tehreek-e-Taliban Afghanistan) leadership? Who signed Doha agreement with TTA and hosted them in (Washington) DC?"

She then urged Western countries to look to their own failures rather than blame Pakistan for them.

"Enough is enough. It is time for those powers who were present in Afghanistan to look to their own failures instead of targeting Pakistan which paid a heavy price in lives lost, social & economic costs, refugees — all for being an ally and suffering constant abuse, in a war that wasn't ours," she said.

GEO

 

[MenInG]

Reacting to a bill seeking imposition of sanctions on the Afghan Taliban that could also potentially extend to Pakistan in US Senate, Interior Minister Sheikh Rashid Ahmed on Wednesday said that the country did not provide any military support to the Taliban.

"US is accusing us that we facilitated Taliban but we only facilitated them to bring them to the table at the request of US," he said while addressing a ceremony in Islamabad.

The statement came a day after the bill, titled ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’, was moved by Republican senators. It triggered an angry rebuke from Human Rights Minister Shireen Mazari.

Rashid, in today’s presser, said that Pakistan wanted the world to engage with the Taliban so that peace can prevail in the neighbouring country. "We are standing with the world and we want the world to stand with Afghanistan in this difficult situation," he added.

Talking about Pakistan's role in the recent developments in Afghanistan, he said that Pakistan helped evacuate 20,000 to 22,000 people and the process will continue till October 30, adding that the entire world lauded Pakistan's efforts in this regard.

He said that Pakistan's geostrategic position was very important and the world powers understood it’s importance. "We will face more challenges [in future as well] but we will emerge victorious eventually."

Criticising India's role in Afghanistan, the interior minister said that India suffered humiliation in the war-torn country and was now trying to harm Pakistan in any way possible.

"India had spread fake news regarding the New Zealand cricket team’s tour to Pakistan," he added.

Rashid said that Pakistani people love cricket but they are not dying for New Zealand to come and play cricket here. "It is not like we have stopped eating [after New Zealand's departure]."

He said that we have gone through more challenging situations and the country will emerge victorious from the previaling situation as well. "The entire New Zealand army is not as large as the security we provided to them in Pakistan," he claimed, adding that we still provided them top notch security after the cancellation of the tour so they do not say that we did not take care of them properly.

To a question, he maintained his earlier stance regarding the differences in Pakistan Muslim League-Nawaz, predicting that PML-N President Shehbaz Sharif will leave his elder brother, former prime Minister Nawaz Sharif (noon main se sheen niklay gi).

 

[Tubs]

I hate how the US become the arbiters for world morality.

But that aside, IK has been very disappointing regarding the Taliban. He let's his anti-Western (which is somewhat justified, not using that as a pejorative) views blind him in regards to the Taliban. Was saying that the 'colonial shackles have been removed' really the best thing to say when Taliban won? While it is partly true, it is easily construed as a direct celebration of the Taliban. IK is by no means a shrewd politician, and that costs him.

 

[Napa]

I hate how the US become the arbiters for world morality.

But that aside, IK has been very disappointing regarding the Taliban. He let's his anti-Western (which is somewhat justified, not using that as a pejorative) views blind him in regards to the Taliban. Was saying that the 'colonial shackles have been removed' really the best thing to say when Taliban won? While it is partly true, it is easily construed as a direct celebration of the Taliban. <b>IK is by no means a shrewd politician, and that costs him.</b>

It costs him, and it costs his country.

Pakistan is headed towards another financial crisis with foreign debt having increased by $25 billion in 3 years. "Colonial shackles" may or may not be true, but obviously when you are going to ask some countries for money, you should refrain from criticizing them.

 

[Tubs]

It costs him, and it costs his country.

Pakistan is headed towards another financial crisis with foreign debt having increased by $25 billion in 3 years. "Colonial shackles" may or may not be true, but obviously when you are going to ask some countries for money, you should refrain from criticizing them.

I don't mind the term at all, and I don't think that was the issue. The issue was the usage of the term as the Taliban got into power. It definitely looked like explicit Taliban support, which as you said, it will not help with the debt.

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Market watch: KSE-100 plummets over fear of US sanctions

KARACHI:
The Pakistan Stock Exchange took a hammering on Wednesday and the benchmark KSE-100 index dived over 1,200 points in intra-day trading as the threat of US sanctions shattered investor confidence.

On Tuesday, a group of high-profile US senators moved a bill in the US Senate, seeking imposition of sanctions on the Afghan Taliban that could also be potentially extended to Pakistan.

Besides, there was no respite for the falling rupee as it crossed the Rs170 mark against the dollar in the inter-bank market and traded at around Rs172 in the open market.

Index-heavy automobile, bank, fertiliser, cement and oil sectors took a battering and most of them closed entirely in the red.

Following a brief open in the positive zone, the KSE-100 index began its descent and fell below the 44,000-point mark by midday. At that point, investors cherry-picked stocks, which helped erase some of the losses.

At close, the benchmark KSE-100 index recorded a decrease of 908.19 points, or 2.01%, to settle at 44,366.74 points.

Speaking to The Express Tribune, Pak-Kuwait Investment Company Head of Research Samiullah Tariq said that the dip was driven by geopolitical concerns and the threat of US sanctions on Pakistan.

Federal ministers of Pakistan condemned the bill, which circulated in the US Senate on Tuesday, he said, adding that the fall in rupee’s value had little to no impact on the direction of the market.

Echoing his views, Alpha Beta Core CEO Khurram Schehzad stated that geopolitical concerns, particularly at a time when the International Monetary Fund (IMF) was due to review Pakistan’s economy, hammered the KSE-100 index and dragged it down.

He pointed out that US statements had the potential to influence direction of the market as well as impact the upcoming IMF review of Pakistan for the release of sixth loan tranche.

“In addition, investors’ panic over the drop in rupee’s value against the US dollar was also reflected in the plunge in the stock market,” he said.

A report of Arif Habib Limited stated that after initial uptick of 67 points, which carried the positive sentiment from Tuesday, the market took a dive due to foreign policy concerns as US senators sought to slap sanctions on Taliban and its supporters.

Investors were worried about the fate of Pakistan’s relations with the US, it said. Resultantly, the KSE-100 index tumbled 1,300 points during the session and closed down by 908 points.

Selling was observed across the board with major decline in technology, bank, exploration and production, oil and gas marketing companies and fertiliser sectors, the report said.

JS Global analyst Maaz Mulla said that the KSE-100 index lost 908 points and closed the session at 44,367 points. Panic selling continued across the board on the back of geopolitical and economic concerns, he said.

However, the market sustained the 44,000 level as it rebounded from the intra-day low of 43,975 points.

“Going forward, we recommend investors to adopt a buy-on-dip strategy in banking, steel and textile sectors,” the analyst said.

Overall trading volumes increased to 468.8 million shares compared with Tuesday’s tally of 364.9 million. The value of shares traded during the day was Rs16.4 billion.

Shares of 560 companies were traded. At the end of the day, 60 stocks closed higher, 489 declined and 11 remained unchanged.

Telecard Limited was the volume leader with 52.4 million shares, losing Rs0.05 to close at Rs17.33. It was followed by WorldCall Telecom with 51.2 million shares, losing Rs0.2 to close at Rs2.71 and Dolmen City with 36 million shares, losing Rs0.18 to close at Rs12.04.

Foreign institutional investors were net sellers of Rs39 million worth of shares during the trading session, according to data compiled by the National Clearing Company of Pakistan.

https://tribune.com.pk/story/2322501/kse-100-plummets-over-1200-points-in-intra-day-trading

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

[MENTION=142162]Napa[/MENTION] look like the news of sanctions is going to start biting the economy. Lot of selling activity in KSE.

 

[Napa]

[MENTION=142162]Napa[/MENTION] look like the news of sanctions is going to start biting the economy. Lot of selling activity in KSE.

Even without sanctions, the antics of the Pak military/ISI has wrecked havoc on Pakistan's economy. With their sheltering OBL, helping the Haqqanis who were killing US soldiers, sending terrorists on 26/11 to India etc has firmly entrenched a terrorist association of Pakistan in the minds of Western investors. Hence no Western FDI and no development of modern industries.

Pakistan has a long road ahead, it takes time to change such perceptions.

 

[ahsan17]

Even without sanctions, the antics of the Pak military/ISI has wrecked havoc on Pakistan's economy. With their sheltering OBL, helping the Haqqanis who were killing US soldiers, sending terrorists on 26/11 to India etc has firmly entrenched a terrorist association of Pakistan in the minds of Western investors. Hence no Western FDI and no development of modern industries.

Pakistan has a long road ahead, it takes time to change such perceptions.

Napa here again passing on his own opinion as some widely agreed upon opinion. Not to mention quite a few falsehoods. Just another day at the office for Napa.

 

[Itachi]

Napa here again passing on his own opinion as some widely agreed upon opinion. Not to mention quite a few falsehoods. Just another day at the office for Napa.

Come on. Sheltering OBL did harm reputation of Pakistan. I don't think even you can deny it.

Pakistan was either sheltering or unaware of OBL and both doesn't look good.

 

[Balthazar]

Good move. Are US dependent on Pakistan for intelligence gathering in Muslim nations?

 

[cric_man]

Come on. Sheltering OBL did harm reputation of Pakistan. I don't think even you can deny it.

Pakistan was either sheltering or unaware of OBL and both doesn't look good.

What doesn't look good is US forces letting ride out of the caves of Tora Bora when he was surrounded?
Did you ask Unkil about that?

https://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-s...tlook/worst-ideas/giving-up-at-tora-bora.html

Corrupt warlords allowed bin Laden to escape while the special forces pleaded with the Pentagon to let them get in the fight. It was probably around the night of Dec. 13, 2001, that a tall man known as the sheik gathered his men, drank tea and then fled toward Pakistan.

 

[ahsan17]

Come on. Sheltering OBL did harm reputation of Pakistan. I don't think even you can deny it.

Pakistan was either sheltering or unaware of OBL and both doesn't look good.

Both Obama and Trump white house said on multiple occasions Pakistan did not intentionally hide OBL. The OBL story is something largely only Indians bring up now. Almost no one else mentions it. Same to his claim that Pakistan sent attackers to Mumbai in 2008.

 

[Napa]

Napa here again passing on his own opinion as some widely agreed upon opinion. Not to mention quite a few falsehoods. Just another day at the office for Napa.

You can keep fooling yourself with your conspiracy theories about OBL etc.

It is not my opinion, it is the opinion of those who have worked for the US military, government, corporations etc. Here is a survey from 2012.



https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/10/23/few-americans-trust-pakistan/

I am trying to help you and your country by pointing out some truths. No point in arguing with me, just figure out why Pakistan gets near zero investment by Western multinationals if you don't want to believe me.

 

[ahsan17]

You can keep fooling yourself with your conspiracy theories about OBL etc.

It is not my opinion, it is the opinion of those who have worked for the US military, government, corporations etc. Here is a survey from 2012.

View attachment 112025

https://www.pewresearch.org/fact-tank/2013/10/23/few-americans-trust-pakistan/

I am trying to help you and your country by pointing out some truths. No point in arguing with me, just figure out why Pakistan gets near zero investment by Western multinationals if you don't want to believe me.

The previous post I made about OBL is a fact. I mean at this point you just turn any disagreement (in this case, a fact you don't like) into a conspiracy theory. Yes US and Pakistan don't trust each other. That's not exactlywhat you were posting earlier.

 

[Itachi]

Both Obama and Trump white house said on multiple occasions Pakistan did not intentionally hide OBL.

Can you provide any reference to this?

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Even without sanctions, the antics of the Pak military/ISI has wrecked havoc on Pakistan's economy. With their sheltering OBL, helping the Haqqanis who were killing US soldiers, sending terrorists on 26/11 to India etc has firmly entrenched a terrorist association of Pakistan in the minds of Western investors. Hence no Western FDI and no development of modern industries.

Pakistan has a long road ahead, it takes time to change such perceptions.

Yeah. But no lessons learnt it seems. Well, more loans from IMF then.
There are a couple of cool startups from Pakistan in trucking and logistics who have got good seed funding. But if sanctions hit, they also will suffer and will move operations outside Pakistan.

 

[ahsan17]

Can you provide any reference to this?

http://www.dawn.com/news/1094573
http://www.bbc.co.uk/news/world-us-canada-13448589

 

[Napa]

The previous post I made about OBL is a fact. I mean at this point you just turn any disagreement (in this case, a fact you don't like) into a conspiracy theory. Yes US and Pakistan don't trust each other. That's not exactlywhat you were posting earlier.

Your post casually suggests that there is some sort of equality between Pakistan and the US, "Yes US and Pakistan don't trust each other". There is no equality.

Japan, China, Korea, Singapore have all got rich thanks to trade with the US. When you have 4% of Business/Trade trusting Pakistan, and 69% trusting India, you should understand that you have a problem that needs to be fixed. Investment from China will turn you into an economic colony exporting raw materials, for development of modern industries you need investment from the US.

I think I have explained the issue as clearly as I can, I am out of this thread.

 

[ahsan17]

Your post casually suggests that there is some sort of equality between Pakistan and the US, "Yes US and Pakistan don't trust each other". There is no equality.

Japan, China, Korea, Singapore have all got rich thanks to trade with the US. When you have 4% of Business/Trade trusting Pakistan, and 69% trusting India, you should understand that you have a problem that needs to be fixed. Investment from China will turn you into an economic colony exporting raw materials, for development of modern industries you need investment from the US.

I think I have explained the issue as clearly as I can, I am out of this thread.

You are putting your own spin into what I said. I said what I said. You are simply ignoring Pakistan's POV and what Pakistanis say their interests are, which is to not have terrorism and to not have an enemy next door. Making an enemy of Taliban will break just that. No security = no investment. Now you can run along your merry way.

 

[MenInG]

ISLAMABAD: The bill moved in the US Senate seeking to assess Pakistan’s alleged role in Afghanistan before and after the fall of Kabul to Afghan Taliban set alarm bells ringing in the upper house of parliament on Wednesday.

Raising the issue of the anti-Pakistan bill that aims to penalise and sanction different countries, Pakistan Peoples Party parliamentary leader in Senate and chairperson of the Senate Standing Committee on Foreign Affairs Senator Sherry Rehman said Pakistan was faced with a moment of serious peril after the hasty pullout of US forces from Afghanistan.

Referring to the Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability bill moved by 22 Republican senators, Senator Rehman regretted the US left Afghanistan under a deal that it had directly made with the Taliban yet it was pressing Pakistan to take responsibility for whatever was happening in Afghanistan. “What is happening to Pakistan is actually worse than what has happened before,” she remarked.

Mentioning that the bill directly targeted Pakistan, she said it was not the US administration’s policy bill but it was important as it could gather critical mass. “It also points to a rise in toxic sentiments about Pakistan on the Hill, which many of us have worked very hard to reverse,” she observed.

Noting that a smart policy was about anticipating challenges and tackling them with unity and rational response, she said that at least a beginning should be made to address the threats. Section 202 of the bill directly mentions Pakistan and calls for an “assessment of support by state and non-state actors, including the government of Pakistan, for the Taliban between 2001 and 2020.”

“They are clearly saying that the government of Pakistan has supported the Taliban but it’s disappointing to see that no one has actually put it to the parliament for shaping collective responses nor dispelled disinformation that is damaging and painful,” she added.

Senator Rehman said: “While it is important to engage with all countries with self-respect, particularly angry superpowers like the US that itself is in turmoil over its 20 years occupation of Afghanistan, what are we doing to empower our own selves? Instead of trying to unite the parliament around a bipartisan foreign policy, the parliament has never met on the Afghan transition, the humanitarian crisis there, and the response. All over the world joint meetings are being held on Afghanistan but Pakistan’s government is in a state of denial over dealing with the parliament”.

She regretted that national unity, which should be the first step in foreign policy was missing and said the PTI government was ignoring the constitution and the parliament, and was busy in their war narrative.

“If we even try to help Pakistan, we are told our leaders are corrupt. How is that helping Pakistan? Our president Zardari also wrote op eds in the Washington Post. He defended the whole of Pakistan, not just his party. Read the op eds and see how parliament was conducted to unite in moments of danger. You need to pay attention to what’s going on in the Pakistan Senate, not just the US Senate. The PM of this country needs to respect the sanctity of the parliament and come here and discuss the situation instead of playing the blame game and disrupting unity. Is this how you defend the country?” she questioned.

She said, “We are friends of Afghanistan, not spokesmen for any particular group. We should not make decisions that hurt the country. The PM mentions sacrifice. Yes, that is correct, but why make fun of that sacrifice by saying we will give amnesty to outfits like TTP that have martyred not just our twice elected PM Benazir Bhutto but also the children of Army Public School and many of our brave soldiers.”

She said serious, deliberative and informed approach was required from the government and there was a need to have a discussion on the state of Pakistan’s foreign policy.

Call for POA chief’s accountability

Earlier amidst calls for resignation, dismissal and accountability of Pakistan Olympic Association (POA) President Lt Gen (retd) Arif Hassan for consistently disappointing performance of athletes, Minister for Inter-Provincial Coordination Dr Fehmida Mirza declared that the new sports policy to be shortly announced would enshrine mechanism for governance and regulation of sports.

Under the new policy, the minister said nobody would be able to use Pakistan’s name without registration of sports associations and other bodies at the appropriate forum.

While responding to a calling attention notice of Senators Moh*sin Aziz and Mushtaq Ahmed about poor performance of Pakistani athletes at Olympics for three decades, she proposed holding of a meeting of the committee of the whole to discuss matters linked with sports.

Published in Dawn, September 30th, 2021

 

[saeedhk]

Even without sanctions, the antics of the Pak military/ISI has wrecked havoc on Pakistan's economy. With their sheltering OBL, helping the Haqqanis who were killing US soldiers, sending terrorists on 26/11 to India etc has firmly entrenched a terrorist association of Pakistan in the minds of Western investors. Hence no Western FDI and no development of modern industries.

Pakistan has a long road ahead, it takes time to change such perceptions.

You are barking up the wrong tree. The main problem is that Pakistanis are not willing to admit that we are the world’s biggest terror financiers and sympathisers. Many prominent AQ militants were either arrested from Pakistan or killed by US drones on Pakistani soil. KSM was arrested from Pakistan too!

Our own interior ministry has admitted that there are over 60 terror groups operating in the country.

Be it Times Square bombing plot or 7/7 attacks, there is always a Pakistani link to major terror attacks around the world. Militants are sent to India to kill civilians in Mumbai and some are pushed over to Afghanistan to wage war against infidels. There is a reason why we are on the FATF and why we have the third worst passport. There is a reason why EU has threatened us with sanctions.

In my opinion, we need to admit that Pakistan is a danger to world peace and that we need to reign in militants and clerics.The fact the militants like Mullah Aziz, Ludhianvi, Saad Rizvi and their ilk roam around with millions of followers and spread hate with so much impunity shows that extremism is a nationwide issue in my opinion.

 

[rockyboy2018]

You are barking up the wrong tree. The main problem is that Pakistanis are not willing to admit that we are the world’s biggest terror financiers and sympathisers. Many prominent AQ militants were either arrested from Pakistan or killed by US drones on Pakistani soil. KSM was arrested from Pakistan too!

Our own interior ministry has admitted that there are over 60 terror groups operating in the country.

Be it Times Square bombing plot or 7/7 attacks, there is always a Pakistani link to major terror attacks around the world. Militants are sent to India to kill civilians in Mumbai and some are pushed over to Afghanistan to wage war against infidels. There is a reason why we are on the FATF and why we have the third worst passport. There is a reason why EU has threatened us with sanctions.

In my opinion, we need to admit that Pakistan is a danger to world peace and that we need to reign in militants and clerics.The fact the militants like Mullah Aziz, Ludhianvi, Saad Rizvi and their ilk roam around with millions of followers and spread hate with so much impunity shows that extremism is a nationwide issue in my opinion.

What about state terrorism that India commits in Kashmir? Aren't they humans? What about killing innocent people in drones that US had done? Sure Pakistan is not a perfect country so is the USA. It should be tried for war crimes. I think the USA is looking for a scapegoat great Pakistan is not siding with the USA. Enough of their two-faced attitude. Pakistani lives are not cheap.

 

[Local.Dada]

What about state terrorism that India commits in Kashmir? Aren't they humans? What about killing innocent people in drones that US had done? Sure Pakistan is not a perfect country so is the USA. It should be tried for war crimes. I think the USA is looking for a scapegoat great Pakistan is not siding with the USA. Enough of their two-faced attitude. Pakistani lives are not cheap.

Pakistan losing soldiers was not because they were fighting against USA, were they?

 

[UzmanBeast]

Until Pakistan comes clean about its endeavors in the past, it will never change this image.

Most people on this forum, heck, most people around the world know that Pakistan was involved in major terrorist activities, or at least played a hand in some.

Our extremely large spending on military is quite concerning if we are promoting regional peace. What's worse is that there are so many people unbothered by the Taliban rule, and actually supporting it.

Pakistan has perhaps established that China is our best friend, but how many ships are we willing to sink?

This bill will probably get passed, and with sanctions imposed upon us, foreign investment will start to dry up.

The current government needs to wake up and stop playing the "come talk to me first" card. America will never come crawling to us even if they are in desperate need.

IK should have started open communication with the White House. Some bootlicking is necessary if it means that you can avoid sanctions.

 

[JaDed]

@poster above There is no way the bill is getting passed lol

 

[hoshiarpurexpress]

Pakistan Stocks Fall, Rupee Hits Record Low on Concern About U.S. Sanctions

Pakistan’s stocks plunged and the rupee weakened to a record low after U.S. senators moved a bill seeking a probe into Islamabad’s alleged role in the Taliban’s takeover in Afghanistan.

The benchmark KSE-100 index plunged the most since march 2020. The rupee weakened 0.3% to close at record low 170.48 per dollar, the central bank data showed.

Investors are concerned about the probability of sanctions on Pakistan after the proposed bill in the U.S. Senate, Adnan Khan, head of international sales at Intermarket Securities Ltd., said from Karachi.

It’s not clear what likelihood the draft legislation has of becoming law. In the evenly-split Senate, no Democrats joined Republican Senator James Risch in cosponsoring the legislation. The bill would authorize sanctions on those providing support to the Taliban, including foreign governments, according to a statement from Risch.

Regardless of the legislation’s prospects, there has long been bipartisan frustration in Washington over relations with Pakistan. Any further deterioration could hamper Prime Minister Imran Khan’s efforts to revive a suspended loan program with the International Monetary Fund.

https://www.bloomberg.com/news/arti...cks-rupee-fall-on-concern-about-u-s-sanctions

 

[Ahmad-GERMANFC]

Until Pakistan comes clean about its endeavors in the past, it will never change this image.

Most people on this forum, heck, most people around the world know that Pakistan was involved in major terrorist activities, or at least played a hand in some.

Our extremely large spending on military is quite concerning if we are promoting regional peace. What's worse is that there are so many people unbothered by the Taliban rule, and actually supporting it.

Pakistan has perhaps established that China is our best friend, but how many ships are we willing to sink?

This bill will probably get passed, and with sanctions imposed upon us, foreign investment will start to dry up.

The current government needs to wake up and stop playing the "come talk to me first" card. America will never come crawling to us even if they are in desperate need.

IK should have started open communication with the White House. Some bootlicking is necessary if it means that you can avoid sanctions.

Your cluelessness is shown by the statement that you think the bill will pass.

There is as much chance of that as there is of Pakistan being a top 5 economy by end of
The decade

 

[Itachi]

Your cluelessness is shown by the statement that you think the bill will pass.

There is as much chance of that as there is of Pakistan being a top 5 economy by end of
The decade

I want to see those reports about the speculation.

 

[UzmanBeast]

Your cluelessness is shown by the statement that you think the bill will pass.

There is as much chance of that as there is of Pakistan being a top 5 economy by end of
The decade

The fact that a bill is even created shows how deplorable our international status and reputation is.

Learn to wake up once in a while. Nationalism shouldn't blind you from accepting that Pakistan has been up to a lot of shady activities.

If your response is that other countries have been doing this as well, don't bother responding because it shows a high level of immaturity.

 

[ahsan17]

The fact that a bill is even created shows how deplorable our international status and reputation is.

Learn to wake up once in a while. Nationalism shouldn't blind you from accepting that Pakistan has been up to a lot of shady activities.

If your response is that other countries have been doing this as well, don't bother responding because it shows a high level of immaturity.

I don't see how a bill in one country speaks for status or reputation. Pakistan could do the reverse to the US, what would that say about US to you?

 

[saeedhk]

What about state terrorism that India commits in Kashmir? Aren't they humans? What about killing innocent people in drones that US had done? Sure Pakistan is not a perfect country so is the USA. It should be tried for war crimes. I think the USA is looking for a scapegoat great Pakistan is not siding with the USA. Enough of their two-faced attitude. Pakistani lives are not cheap.

How is India related to this topic? If you want to talk about India, start a new thread. Yes, Pakistani lives are not cheap thats why Mushy handed over Pakistanis for $5000 a pop!

Pakistani lives are dirt-cheap to the Pakistani government because Pakistanis die every week in terror attacks but nobody bats an eye! Remember when you are living off loans and donations, you lose all your respect. Nobody respects beggers!

 

[Local.Dada]

I don't see how a bill in one country speaks for status or reputation. Pakistan could do the reverse to the US, what would that say about US to you?

Lol. Pakistan should give it a shot and see what happens given the meltdown that has happened over just this move by the USA.

 

[ahsan17]

Lol. Pakistan should give it a shot and see what happens given the meltdown that has happened over just this move by the USA.

Not even sure how any of this is relevant to what I said.

 

[UzmanBeast]

I don't see how a bill in one country speaks for status or reputation. Pakistan could do the reverse to the US, what would that say about US to you?

This isn't some small talk, this is a bill being passed to impose sanctions on Pakistan.

There was evidence provided above showing how little regard the US public has for Pakistan, little to no faith in our country.

We have abused the respect that other countries put in us by conducting very shady activities.

Pakistan can try by all means, but it will end up as a total flop because we thrive on support and loans from the IMF.

Please guess who the biggest stakeholder in all these loaning organizations is?

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. It is embarrassing.

In a few weeks, we'll see Imran Khan begging IMF for another loan.

 

[KingKhanWC]

How is India related to this topic? If you want to talk about India, start a new thread. Yes, Pakistani lives are not cheap thats why Mushy handed over Pakistanis for $5000 a pop!

Pakistani lives are dirt-cheap to the Pakistani government because Pakistanis die every week in terror attacks but nobody bats an eye! Remember when you are living off loans and donations, you lose all your respect. Nobody respects beggers!

Every week?

we know you are anti-Pak and pro-India, but please dont make up nonsense.

As for this bill, the Yanks are emabarrased, after 20 years ran off leaving the Taliban to take over.

Their Zionist mindset will always look to harm Pakistan, the only Muslim nation with nuclear weapons.

Pak should help China and Russia to slowly bring down the American empire, which I believe is the case already.

 

[PakLFC]

Pass or not Pak must not turn against the Afghan Taliban now. The American's understand need a scapegoat to blame for their defeat in Afghanistan.

 

[moghul]

Even without sanctions, the antics of the Pak military/ISI has wrecked havoc on Pakistan's economy. With their sheltering OBL, helping the Haqqanis who were killing US soldiers, sending terrorists on 26/11 to India etc has firmly entrenched a terrorist association of Pakistan in the minds of Western investors. Hence no Western FDI and no development of modern industries.

Pakistan has a long road ahead, it takes time to change such perceptions.

You must be an Indian living in USA, got to be, and nothing wrong with that.

 

[Napa]

You must be an Indian living in USA, got to be, and nothing wrong with that.

What does my living in the US have to do with Pakistan "sending terrorists on 26/11 to India"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks

 

[ahsan17]

This isn't some small talk, this is a bill being passed to impose sanctions on Pakistan.

There was evidence provided above showing how little regard the US public has for Pakistan, little to no faith in our country.

We have abused the respect that other countries put in us by conducting very shady activities.

Pakistan can try by all means, but it will end up as a total flop because we thrive on support and loans from the IMF.

Please guess who the biggest stakeholder in all these loaning organizations is?

Don't bite the hand that feeds you. It is embarrassing.

In a few weeks, we'll see Imran Khan begging IMF for another loan.

1. The bill says nothing about sanctioning Pakistan
2. If you know how politics works in the US, you would know the chances of a republican driven bill like this passing are close to 0.

 

[ahsan17]

What does my living in the US have to do with Pakistan "sending terrorists on 26/11 to India"?

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks

I think he's talking about your allegation of state involvement from Pakistani side, which is of course nothing but a lie and a conspiracy theory.

 

[saeedhk]

Every week?

we know you are anti-Pak and pro-India, but please dont make up nonsense.

As for this bill, the Yanks are emabarrased, after 20 years ran off leaving the Taliban to take over.

Their Zionist mindset will always look to harm Pakistan, the only Muslim nation with nuclear weapons.

Pak should help China and Russia to slowly bring down the American empire, which I believe is the case already.

There have at least been four bomb attacks in the last 3-4 weeks. You need to read more!

 

[ahsan17]

There have at least been four bomb attacks in the last 3-4 weeks. You need to read more!

In this case, I would suggest you read more.

 

[Napa]

I think he's talking about your allegation of state involvement from Pakistani side, which is of course nothing but a lie and a conspiracy theory.

Again, I have no idea what my living in the US would have to do with this issue.

The involvement of ISI in 26/11 is not a lie and a conspiracy theory. There is enough proof of the involvement of the Pakistani government agencies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks#Attackers

These sort of easily disprovable denials are at the root of the lack of trust in Pakistan.

 

[saeedhk]

In this case, I would suggest you read more.

Tell that to the families of those killed in these attacks!

 

[ahsan17]

Again, I have no idea what my living in the US would have to do with this issue.

The involvement of ISI in 26/11 is not a lie and a conspiracy theory. There is enough proof of the involvement of the Pakistani government agencies.

https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/2008_Mumbai_attacks#Attackers

These sort of easily disprovable denials are at the root of the lack of trust in Pakistan.

View attachment 112082

This is where you move from claiming Pakistan is not credible or has no proof, to making claims yourself that are not credible and have no proof, and are just plain old conspiracy theory. Your argument has no credibility or takers in the world. I don't need to go around wasting time to try to disprove it.

 

[ahsan17]

Tell that to the families of those killed in these attacks!

Werent you literally telling someone to read more? Now you don't like it?

 

[saeedhk]

Werent you literally telling someone to read more? Now you don't like it?

You are free to refute my point. The fact is nobody believes Pakistan at the international because we have been very dishonest and we have backed terror outfits.

 

[ahsan17]

You are free to refute my point. The fact is nobody believes Pakistan at the international because we have been very dishonest and we have backed terror outfits.

You were arguing about there being terror attack in Pakistan every week. Now you are changing tune. What's wrong with you?

 

[saeedhk]

You were arguing about there being terror attack in Pakistan every week. Now you are changing tune. What's wrong with you?

There are attacks every week!

 

[MenInG]

Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi said on Friday that the recent bill introduced in the US Senate, seeking investigations into the role of Pakistan in Afghanistan, was an attempt to “pass the buck” but stressed that one must not be overly “obsessed” with the proposed legislation.

“To me it (the draft bill titled ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act of 2021’) is an attempt to pass the buck and Pakistan has sufficient reasons to defend its case,” Qureshi told a joint news conference with his Danish counterpart, Jeppe Kofod.

The 57-page draft bill made several references to Pakistan. It seeks investigation into the role Pakistan played from 2001 to 2020, fall of Kabul and the Afghan Taliban takeover of Panjshir valley, the last province offering resistance to the Taliban rule.

The Foreign Office already reacted to the draft bill calling it as “unwarranted.” When asked at the presser about the proposed bill, Qureshi replied that Pakistan could not overlook the implications of the move initiated by the Republican senators.

“We are cognisant and we will do everything possible to explain what the correct position is,” Foreign Minister Qureshi said.

“We also understand as the bill stands right now it does not have bipartisan understanding. It is a bill presented by a group of Republican senators who have had the view that the government of the United States should have responded to the situation in Afghanistan.”

Qureshi said that Pakistan believed in engagement and communication, while defending its interests. “They (US senators) have to understand the positive role Pakistan has played in fighting terrorism, they have to understand the positive role played by Pakistan in facilitating the peace process,” he said.

Qureshi was of the view that the US politicians needed to find out the causes behind the “debacle in Afghanistan”, and stressed that “scapegoating” Pakistan would not help the cause.

“They have to understand that a partnership with Pakistan is required in future as well to achieve stability in Afghanistan and the region” he noted. “Let’s not be excessively obsessed with the bill. It’s an attempt and let’s not forget there are lobbies in the United States and there are neighbours in our region who would like to play up this bill.”

Meanwhile, Kofod said that his country would not recognise the Taliban government but added that Denmark would not “turn its back” on the people of Afghanistan. He expressed concerns over Afghanistan becoming a “terror safe haven”, posing threat to the region as well as the world.

Read Incentivising Taliban will be win-win for all: PM

Kofod said that Denmark would work with countries such as Pakistan to find a way forward in Afghanistan. He thanked Pakistan for helping the Danish government in evacuation of its diplomats and other nationals from Afghanistan.

Later a statement issued by the Foreign Office said the Foreign Minister Qureshi noted that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was in Pakistan’s best interest as well as the region. Qureshi hoped that the new set-up in Afghanistan would make concerted efforts for peace and stability as well as work towards the betterment of all Afghan people.

The foreign minister emphasised the importance of international community remaining engaged with Afghanistan and supporting the Afghan people. There was an urgent need to provide assistance to prevent a humanitarian crisis and to take steps to ensure economic stability, he added.

Qureshi also briefed Kofod about his interaction with his counterparts from the European countries and said that the views on both sides were largely convergent. He apprised his Danish counterpart of his regional outreach on the situation in Afghanistan and to evolve a coordinated approach.

In the context of bilateral relations, Qureshi reaffirmed the resolve to further expand the growing cooperation, particularly in the fields of trade and investment and renewable energy. Qureshi appreciated the ongoing energy cooperation with Denmark.

Both the foreign ministers looked forward to the early conclusion of the Green Partnership Framework Agreement between Denmark and Pakistan, according to the Foreign Office statement. The foreign minister also highlighted the importance of high-level exchanges, parliamentary visits and enhanced people-to-people contacts for expanding the bilateral ties.

Foreign Minister Kofod reiterated profound gratitude for Pakistan’s facilitative role in evacuation of their nationals and others from Afghanistan. The foreign minister said that Pakistan had facilitated the transit of more than 14,000 people from over 30 countries and international organisations.

The Danish foreign minister also called on Chief of Army Staff (COAS) General Qamar Javed Bajwa at the GHQ. During the meeting, matters of mutual interest, regional security, current situation and collaboration in humanitarian measures in Afghanistan were discussed, according to the ISPR.

The army chief said that Pakistan valued its relations with Denmark and “we earnestly look forward to enhance mutually beneficial multi-domain relations based on common interest”. Kofod appreciated Pakistan’s role in the Afghan situation, including successful evacuation operations, efforts for regional stability and pledged to further improve cooperation with Pakistan at all levels.

Prime Minister Imran Khan said on Friday that the positive messages and constructive measures by the international community would help prevent instability in Afghanistan and mass exodus of refugees, and stressed that an inclusive political structure was important for stability of Afghanistan.

The prime minister, in a meeting with Danish Foreign Minister Jeppe Kofod, who called on him here, said that a peaceful and stable Afghanistan was vitally important for Pakistan and the region.

He recalled his earlier conversation with Prime Minister of Denmark Mette Fredericksen and said that they had a fruitful exchange of views on the situation in Afghanistan as well as bilateral relations.

The prime minister stressed the need for international community's constructive engagement to prevent humanitarian crisis and economic collapse in Afghanistan and to help build durable peace and stability in the country.

The prime minister expressed satisfaction at the growing cooperation between the two countries. He added that Pakistan was committed to further diversify bilateral cooperation in the areas of trade and investment and renewable energy besides increasing people-to-people contacts.

During the meeting, there was a detailed exchange of views on climate change and the need for concerted efforts by the international community to mitigate its adverse effects. The Danish foreign minister appreciated the prime minister's 10 billion tree initiative and a range of measures taken by Pakistan towards climate resilient development.

The prime minister also underscored the significance of mobilising scaled-up and predictable international climate finance to support climate actions in the developing countries.

Kofod conveyed gratitude of the Danish government for Pakistan's support and facilitation in evacuation of its nationals and others from Afghanistan. He also reaffirmed Denmark's commitment to further strengthen bilateral ties.

 

[UzmanBeast]

1. The bill says nothing about sanctioning Pakistan
2. If you know how politics works in the US, you would know the chances of a republican driven bill like this passing are close to 0.

US politics are volatile.

Just a few years ago we saw Donald Trump become president.

If the general public feels like Pakistan isn't worth the trouble, sanctions will come soon after.

 

[Itachi]

This is where you move from claiming Pakistan is not credible or has no proof, to making claims yourself that are not credible and have no proof, and are just plain old conspiracy theory. Your argument has no credibility or takers in the world. I don't need to go around wasting time to try to disprove it.

The statement from qureshi is echoing what he was saying though.

 

[Lonewarrior]

ghanta farq nahi parta .....

 

[Stewie]

This is rather hilarious. Dumping the their failure to win a war in 20 years over Pakistan.

An enemy even Us cannot kill in two decades, they now think Pakistan should fight against? Why would we do that? We want to protect our own interests and try to deal with them diplomatically. Everyone seems to be having a cow over that, find it rather amusing!

 

[Ahmad-GERMANFC]

The fact that a bill is even created shows how deplorable our international status and reputation is.

Learn to wake up once in a while. Nationalism shouldn't blind you from accepting that Pakistan has been up to a lot of shady activities.

If your response is that other countries have been doing this as well, don't bother responding because it shows a high level of immaturity.

You are clueless. And I’m not nationalist at all lol.

 

[Ahmad-GERMANFC]

US politics are volatile.

Just a few years ago we saw Donald Trump become president.

If the general public feels like Pakistan isn't worth the trouble, sanctions will come soon after.

The general public doesn’t care much either way. The negative public opinion against Pakistan was at peak in late 2000s (after failed Times Square bombing)and then when OBL was killed yet US was handung out $$$ to Pakistan right after. The general public’s opinion doesn’t really count here.

I would recommend you to learn about how this works rather than write long posts which only expose your cluelessness

 

[Local.Dada]

This is rather hilarious. Dumping the their failure to win a war in 20 years over Pakistan.

An enemy even Us cannot kill in two decades, they now think Pakistan should fight against? Why would we do that? We want to protect our own interests and try to deal with them diplomatically. Everyone seems to be having a cow over that, find it rather amusing!

Wait I am confused. I have heard from Pakistanis on this very forum that Pakistan had a lot of casualties and economic losses fighting the “war on terror” alongside USA. If this statement is wrong than nothing to discuss but if right then next set of question?

Who exactly were Pakistan fighting this war on terror against internally. Externally I get it. It is the whole Modi, RSS angle but internally whom were the fighting all these years?

Now if Pakistan was an ally and a friend of USA in this war, how is it just USA’s defeat?

Sure, Pakistan protects its own interest but at what cost. Don’t know if rubbing a superpower like USA the wrong way is actually protecting self-interest but that’s a topic for another day.

Do you see why USA might be peeved with Pakistan here especially after the Pakistan army and politicians getting kickbacks all these years from the funding they received now the government makes statements like “breaking slavery” “give Taliban aid” etc etc.

Can someone explain this?

 

[UzmanBeast]

The general public doesn’t care much either way. The negative public opinion against Pakistan was at peak in late 2000s (after failed Times Square bombing)and then when OBL was killed yet US was handung out $$$ to Pakistan right after. The general public’s opinion doesn’t really count here.

I would recommend you to learn about how this works rather than write long posts which only expose your cluelessness

The general public's opinion does matter for a lot of government decisions.

What exactly can the US gain from having cordial relations with Pakistan? We are grey-listed by the FATF, we have been exposed on the world stage numerous times for having a hand in terrorist activities, OBL was found watching Netflix in our country as if he was an average citizen.

There's a reason the White House is yet to reach out to Imran Khan. There's a reason Joe Biden has not even bothered to speak with Imran Khan, a prime minister who keeps claiming that Pakistan is "the second-most relevant country to the Afghanistan conflict".

And in truth, why would Biden bother reaching out to Pakistan at all? What exactly does Imran Khan offer Biden?

Pakistan chose a very clear stance when they too refused to contact the White House, we chose to act as if we are some big superpower that other countries will kneel to us when we like.

So whilst this bill might not end up passing, it does certainly show that the image of Pakistan in the western world has been nullified to being a state that openly sponsors and encourages terrorism for its own benefit.

You've got a lot of examples to choose from about how every single time Imran Khan goes on a foreign interview, one of the questions he is always asked relates to Pakistan's role in terrorism. Every single time, he uses the same statement that "the western propaganda is making an enemy out of Pakistan", yet, there is still one undeniable fact that the world's most dangerous terrorists were sitting right in our country, free. As if that's not enough, you've got the people responsible for the Mumbai Terrorist Attacks also resting freely without any justice prevalent.

I will continue to write long posts because I will justify my point to whoever is willing to know. You can write short posts that convey nothing about your own stance, and that's fine. The US at the time continued to hand out money to Pakistan because they were still using our country to conduct drone strikes and other military activities. Furthermore, at that time, it was extremely vague as to what extent Pakistan played a role in the shielding or hiding of OBL. Neither you, nor I, have the exact evidence to justify whether Pakistan supported OBL, but I can assure you that the years which followed showed that terrorists were running virtually freely in Pakistan, and US policymakers, news agencies, and the general public know Pakistan for the decisions we made in the past that have haunted us for many years.

If you at least tried to understand the motives America has to even keep relations with Pakistan, you would perhaps understand that this bill, even if it fails now, is just a staunch reminder of the fact that the United States is very unlikely to butter up to Pakistan any time soon.

Having differing approaches doesn't make anyone clueless, it is quite clueless of you, however, to think that way.

 

[moghul]

US is now a weak country, cannot afford to create trouble for any country . This bill will never pass.

 

[FearlessRoar]

A green alliance​

The US-Pakistan Green Alliance will not only benefit the coming generations in Pakistan, it will also add a new dimension to the US-Pakistan relationship, says Deputy Chief of US Mission in Pakistan, Andrew Schofer.

In an exclusive chat with The News on Sunday to discuss the Green Alliance, Mr Schofer, flanked by three US Consul Generals, Kristin Hawkins from Lahore, Shante Moore from Peshawar and Conrad Tribble from Karachi, said, “About two years ago, Ambassador Blome and the Mission and our Pakistani contacts were looking at the future of the Pakistani-American relationship. We were looking for areas of cooperation after the devastating flooding in 2022.” He recalled that the US was able to react quickly to the flood and provided assistance worth over $250 million immediately.

“We also helped coordinate the international donor conference and the promises that were made there. But you know, a relationship can’t be based just on this sort of emergency reactions.”The US DCM said the US Mission pointed out the areas for real growth and took initiative in those zones under the Green Alliance.

He said, “Climate change is an issue that affects everybody. It certainly affects Pakistan tremendously. So, we are working together for the US and Pakistan to develop a sustainable, climate-friendly energy system.”

Mr Schofer said, “The US and Pakistan have a long history of working together in the agriculture sector. The US believes that’s core to Pakistan’s long-term economic development.”

“Water management is another sector where we are working together,” he added.

He said that these three areas were pointed out in response to the flooding, but also have long-term implications. “We provided assistance under the Green Alliance which is a framework that allows us to identify areas where we can work together; where we can support each other; and where we have mutual interests.”

The three areas of water management, agriculture and climate-sustainable energy are the core ones. We’ve done a lot in hydropower. We’ve done a lot in agriculture. We’ve done a lot in these areas. We’re trying to think how we can posture them so that they support these Green Alliance initiatives.

Explaining the Green Alliance initiatives, Mr Schofer said, “There are lots of different sources of support. The Green Climate Fund is one of those. We’ve given about a billion dollars to that. Pakistan has been able to draw from that fund for several projects including the Indus Valley project. And then there’s the direct assistance to our programmes to focus more specifically on the areas, I mentioned.”

He said the US had been working with Pakistan in all these areas for decades. This doesn’t always get a lot of attention because the public attention is focused on other parts of the relationship. “So, this is also something that increasingly is going to become more and more important because it’s a key priority for the coming generations. We have to have clean air, clean water and clean energy. We can work together to achieve that.”

Ms Kristin Hawkins, the Lahore consul general, said, “The US Embassy is focused on Green Alliance from a policy perspective. We, in the consulates, are trying to see how we can bring this to life in a specific region, taking into account the particular challenges and opportunities in each region.”

She said that the US was focusing on using water and soil resources more efficiently; helping farmers get new opportunities to sell crops that otherwise would have just gone to waste; and trying to create new economic opportunities for farmers in addition to protecting the climate. “In the Punjab, specifically Lahore, the air quality is another challenge we are focusing on. We recently had a US air quality expert come out to Lahore to have meetings with a range of individuals from provincial officials to academics, to private sector folks. Those are challenges that we have dealt with in the United States in the past. Look at Los Angeles in the 1980s,” said Ms Hawkins.

“The US and Pakistan have a long history of working together in the agriculture sector. US believes that’s core to Pakistan’s long-term economic development.”

She said that having already dealt with these challenges the US had figured out ways to overcome some of them pretty effectively. “So that’s the sort of expertise that we at the consulate want to make sure Americans have a chance to share directly with Pakistanis.”

She said that the consulate general was looking for more opportunities to bring the two countries together beyond agriculture and air quality. The consulate general in Lahore had recently started a new partnership with the Lahore University of Management Sciences to support their Electric Vehicle Research Lab to contribute to the efforts on the clean energy front.

Highlighting initiatives under the Green Alliance in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa, the Peshawar CG, Shante Moore, said, “The US is helping over 2,000 farmers to learn best agricultural practices and use innovative technologies to grow profitable alternatives to illicit crops. This is a big challenge in Khyber Pakhtunkhwa.” He said the US consulate in Peshawar had rehabilitated flood-damaged irrigation infrastructure to help restore irrigation supplies to 180,000 hectares of land after floods in 2022.

Moore added, “We are also working with the government of Pakistan to strengthen its flood forecasting capabilities through information gathering on snow accumulation in the Upper Indus Basin.” He said that to promote renewable energy projects in the KP, US is also working with universities and local communities on solar energy. “We want to partner with the federal and provincial governments; private sector and civil society because we believe that the Green Alliance will be beneficial for all Pakistanis.”

The Karachi CG, Conrad Tribble, said, “Under the Green Alliance, we are doing similar programmes with livestock farming; sustainable agriculture practices etc in Sindh and Balochistan from the Karachi consulate.” He said, “Sindh was the major focus for flood relief after 2022 and onward. We have a great relationship with the Sindh government and we are doing a lot of work through the USAID on flood recovery.”

He said there had been a lot of damage to the electricity distribution systems, the transmission lines and poles, and so forth after the flood. “We launched a project to support Hyderabad’s electricity distribution company and handed over 2,400 electric light poles, worth half a million dollars, to help rebuild the transmission infrastructure,” he added.

He said, “In 2014, we partnered with the Mehran University of Engineering where we built a water management science centre, trained staff and hired faculty to run it. It is now running as an independent part of the university. It is a national reference lab and research facility for water management techniques.” He said that his prime focus was on the Indus Valley where the USAID has a water management project that is again not just in Sindh but supports the whole of Pakistan and is part of the Recharge Pakistan programme.

He said that another initiative the US took was Green Shipping to convert the shipping industry across the board into a low-carbon/ no-carbon industry. “That’s a long-term project. For ports, it is important how they are reducing their carbon footprint. Ports that reduce their carbon footprint are going to be the ports that succeed in the economic competition for port services.”

He said, “The DCM chaired a couple of roundtables last year. We are trying to support Pakistan’s development of a set of goals, specific metrics to reduce the carbon emissions of the port industry, the three ports in Pakistan, and working directly with the ports, providing technical training and capacity building and best practice assessment as well. So, the green shipping part of the Green Alliance is something that is specific to the south. It has a lot of promise if we can mobilize well.”

The DCM remarked that Pakistan doesn’t currently have a huge shipping industry. It’s at a stage where it can be sort of ahead of the curve. Committing to green values now will be beneficial for Pakistan. “The technology is there. Some of the international shipping companies are already using it. So, I think there’s a real opportunity there.”

A green alliance | Political Economy | thenews.com.pk

A new dimension in the US-Pakistan ties

www.thenews.com.pk

 

[FearlessRoar]

The USA has always maintained enmity with Pakistan. I think it's high time to focus only on our neighbours