Sanctions must go: Sattar

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, JUNE 19. Pakistan's Foreign Minister, Mr. Abdul Sattar, has warned that if the United States did not get rid of sanctions, it would not only risk the erosion of conventional capability leading to an increase in reliance on strategic deterrence but also prolong poverty and hardship leading to several undesirable trends including extremism.

Addressing a nonproliferation conference organised by the Carnegie Endowment, Mr. Sattar was quite blunt in his evaluation of the punitive measures imposed by the U.S., not just the post- 1998 Glenn Amendment sanctions. ``The U.S. has no legal obligation to continue to provide economic assistance or sell military equipment to Pakistan. But friends have a right to at least to expect non-discrimination.''

Sanctions are ``paradoxical'' in another significant way, he said. ``Denial of economic cooperation retards our efforts to relieve poverty which breeds hopelessness and desperation and fosters extremism that needs to be opposed. Also the sanctions have only slowed down the pace of our economic revival and prolonged poverty and hardship which give rise to a host of undesirable trends including extremism.''

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