US House passes amendment tying human rights with aid to Pakistan
The
US House of Representative passed an amendment linking the American
military aid with the human rights in Pakistan, in particular those of
religious and ethnic minorities.
The amendment moved by Congressman Dana Rohrabacher on Friday requires the US defence secretary to
certify
that Pakistan is not using its military to "persecute minority groups
for their legitimate and nonviolent political and religious beliefs".
The amendment specifically names the Balochi, Sindhi and Christian minorities, among others.
However,
passage of such an amendment under the National Defence Authorization
Act 2014, though hailed by Rohrabacher as a giant step forward, is
unlikely to have much impact on US military aid to Pakistan, given that
in the past that both the Pentagon and the State Department have been
quick in issuing similar certifications.
"This
is a giant step forward for those victims of oppression in Pakistan,"
said Rohrabacher who moved the amendment with bipartisan co-sponsorship
of Congressman Brad Sherman.
Rohrabacher is chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Subcommittee on Europe, Eurasia, and Emerging Threats.
"For
the first time their plight is being recognised and a policy is being
established of not giving the Pakistani government the weapons to carry
on their repression. This is the first time the plight of the Balochi
and the Sindhi have been underscored in legislation that links support
for Pakistan's military to how they treat those minority groups,"
Rohrabacher said.
The
US has given over $25 billion of aid to Pakistan since 2001 and this
year's National Defence Authorization Act authorised up to an additional
$1.5 billion.
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