The Hindu : Pallone for reimposition of sanctions on Pak.

Online edition of India's National Newspaper
Tuesday, Nov 26, 2002

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Pallone for reimposition of sanctions on Pak.

By Our Special Correspondent

NEW DELHI Nov. 25. The U.S. Congressman, Frank Pallone, today urged the Bush administration to re-impose military and democratic sanctions on Pakistan. Citing reasons for such a move, he said Pakistan was not a democracy country, President Musharraf came to power after a coup and the country had transferred nuclear technology to North Korea.

He told a session of the India Economic Summit organised by the Confederation of Indian Industry (CII) that he would work towards having the sanctions reimposed against Pakistan when the U.S. Congress reconvenes.

Mr. Pallone, who was one of the first co-chairs of the India Caucus in the U.S. Congress, felt the U.S. assistance to Pakistan should focus on education and the social sector and not in providing defence aid as it could be used within the region.

He felt it was in the U.S. interest to have influence in the economic and political arena of Pakistan rather than in the military area.

The U.S. administration should not treat India and Pakistan alike while noting that Washington has a rather hypocritical stand regarding policy when it comes to Pakistan, he said. Washington saw Islamabad as a strategic ally because of the war on terrorism fought against the Taliban and the Al Qaeda in Afghanistan.

He said this was not the way forward and was only beneficial in the short term. In the long run, the Bush administration should realise that it might prove hazardous not just to India but to the U.S. as well.

Mr. Pallone said that the Bush administration remains very pro-India. This was manifested in the number of recent official visits to India. Another significant move on Washington's part was the appointment of a special official dealing specifically with the South Asian trade. It would increase trade between the two countries and might even serve to make India a counterpart to China in trade with the U.S. he said.

He said his caucus should focus more on increasing trade and economic relations . The India Caucus would focus more on trade related issues, especially intellectual property rights and lifting of trade barriers faced by specific industries such as steel and textiles, he added.

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