Kerry-Lugar Law: Army sticks to its stance

[Naveed Yaseen]

By Ansar Abbasi
ISLAMABAD: The Army’s reservations over the Kerry-Lugar Law (KLL) remain unchanged even after the issuance of the explanatory note by the sponsors of the aid bill and its subsequent acclamation by the government, a military source said.

However, the director-general ISPR, when contacted, did not explain the military’s new position on the US legislation. He only said the Army had clearly mentioned in its press release that parliament was sovereign and it had to make the final decision.

The military source told The News that the Army’s “serious concerns” continue to stand today as they were before. The source insisted that the explanatory note had no legal status. Therefore, the provisions of the bill that were found unacceptable by the Army remained unchanged, the source added.

John Kerry, one of the sponsors of the KLB, had said on the conclusion of his recent meetings with Pakistan’s civil and military leadership that it was only Nawaz Sharif who still had reservations over the controversial legislation.

When asked about the reaction of the Pakistan Army, he had said that both the government and the Pakistan Army were on the same page, which implied that they had accepted the Kerry-Lugar Law.

The military source said that Kerry’s statement was not reflective of the response of the Army, which after due consideration had decided to make its serious concerns public by issuing a press release.

When asked as why the Army did not issue a rebuttal or clarification to what John Kerry said, the source wondered, “Do you really think that the Pakistan Army should respond to what John Kerry says?”

Following the 122nd Corps Commanders Conference held on Oct 7, the COAS was quoted as saying that Pakistan was a sovereign state and had all the right to analyse and respond to the threat in accordance with its own national interests.

The press release, that shook the Presidency, said: “The Kerry-Lugar Bill also came under discussion during the conference. The forum expressed serious concern regarding the clauses impacting on the national security. A formal input is being provided to the government. However, in the considered view of the forum, it is parliament that represents the will of the people of Pakistan, which would deliberate on the issue, enabling the government to develop a national response.”

But later when the government referred the matter to parliament, a dominant majority of parliamentarians opposed the bill owing to which the government avoided voting on the issue.

Despite the fact that parliament was opposed to the KBL, the government welcomed the bill and expressed complete satisfaction over the explanatory note. Later, the federal cabinet met and endorsed the US legislation.

When the military spokesman was contacted by a member of The News Investigative Wing and inquired about the Pakistan Army’s reaction to the US legislation after the explanatory note was issued, he said: “As far as the views or reservations of the Pakistan Army regarding the Kerry-Lugar Bill are concerned, these were expressed in an ISPR press release. This press release has clearly mentioned that parliament is sovereign and it has to make a final decision. We didn’t want to make any more comment on this.”

When told that 76 per cent of the parliamentarians had spoken against the conditions of the Kerry-Lugar Bill and that Senator John Kerry had declared that the military and political leadership of Pakistan were on the same page, the spokesman repeated that he would not make any comment on it and that the Army’s view was mentioned in the press release.

http://www.thenews.com.pk/top_story_detail.asp?Id=25178