Republican lawmaker Andy Biggs introduced legislation in the US House of Representatives seeking to terminate Pakistan’s designation as a major non-NATO ally. The Republican administration has been critical of Pakistan’s role in aiding the US on its war on terror and former US President Donald Trump also accused Pakistan of misleading the US on several occasions.
The bill – HR 80 – was introduced by the Arizona congressman and will require certification from the US President Joe Biden with certain conditions for Islamabad to be given such a designation, news agency PTI said in a report.
Biggs was the former chairman of the far-right bloc within the Republican Party known as the House Freedom Caucus. It should be noted that he is an ally of the former US president.
Trump on a few occasions criticised Pakistan for taking millions of dollars from the US in fundings promising to fight terror but instead wasted them.
It should also be noted that the Biden administration is also unhappy with Pakistan after the Taliban takeover of Afghanistan. Observers point out that the US is unhappy that despite promising to fight terror, Islamabad provided safe haven to terrorists which in turn led to destabilisation of Afghanistan.
“We don’t see ourselves building a broad relationship with Pakistan, and we have no interest in returning to the days of hyphenated India-Pakistan. That’s not where we are. That’s not where we’re going to be,” deputy secretary of state Wendy Sherman told at an event in Mumbai in October 2021.
Despite this, the administration greenlit the $450 million F-16 fighter jet fleet sustainment programme to Pakistan in October 2022.
It remains unclear how much impact HR-80 will have on Islamabad-Washington ties as it needs to be passed by the House and the Senate before US President Joe Biden signs it into law. It is currently resting with the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
Bigg’s bill asks the Biden administration to certify that Islamabad has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting Haqqani Network senior leaders and mid-level operatives, the PTI report said. It also asks the president to certify that Pakistan will remain committed to preventing the Haqqani Network from using any of its territory as a safe haven.
Experts in the US believe that the Haqqani network is an arm of the Pakistan intelligence agency Inter-Services Intelligence (ISI) and feel that the agency will struggle to meet these requirements.
It also asks the US President to ensure that the movement of militants, such as the Haqqani Network, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border remains restricted.
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