Support for lifting 'democracy' sanctions against Pak.

By Sridhar Krishnaswami

WASHINGTON, SEPT. 25. The Bush administration has said that there is clear bipartisan support in Congress for the lifting of the so-called democracy sanctions against Pakistan as well.

``... a number of Congress members, both in the House and in the Senate, urge that we look at that question as well, and we are certainly doing so,'' Mr. Marc Grossman, Under Secretary of State for Political Affairs, said.

Mr. Grossman was at the Washington Foreign Press Centre to talk about coalition-building against terrorism and fielded a number of questions on several topics, including waiving of ``nuclear'' sanctions against India and Pakistan.

The senior official indicated that the administration is taking a careful look at the ``democracy'' sanctions against Pakistan under Section 508 of the Foreign Assistance Act.

Under the law, these measures will be lifted only after certification from the President about restoration of democracy in Pakistan. How the White House goes about this will be interesting to see. Moreover, the point is that substantial relaxations have already been made and Congress has appropriated funds to Pakistan for education and social programmes.

Mr. Grossman said that under present conditions, the Bush administration is focussed on terrorism as it related to Osama bin Laden and the Al-Qaeda and their associates only.

Asked to respond to the perception of India that Pakistan is behind promoting terrorism and giving funds and arms to the militants in Jammu and Kashmir, he said that ``...our policy on Kashmir hasn't changed. What has changed here is that we are very focussed on what has happened on that map...as Secretary Powell, as the President and as the National Security Adviser, Dr. Rice, have said over the week-end, we are looking to develop this international coalition, and the focus is Al-Qaeda, Osama and the networks and the training camps. That's our focus, and that's what we intend to do.''

When a Pakistani journalist wanted to know if the objective of the U.S. this time was for a longer-term policy with that country or sticking by the pattern of the last 50 years of `dumping after use', Mr. Grossman said that he would not only object to the question but also ``slightly resent'' its premise.

``I would say that when Gen. Musharraf took the decision, he made in the interests of Pakistan, not in the interests of the U.S.; he made it because he had a choice to make between what was happening in Afghanistan, the fact that Osama is the prime suspect for what happened on September 11 and the fact that around the world...momentum had developed against terrorism,'' Mr. Grossman added.

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Section  : International
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