The 10 historic facts about Pak-US ties

LAHORE: Just four-and-a half months after tensions between Washington DC and Islamabad had mounted due to the eventful May 2, 2011 incident in which Osama bin Laden was killed at Abbottabad by US forces, the relationship between Pakistan and US has yet again turned sour, but a peek into the history of the ‘roller coaster’ diplomatic ties between the two countries would reveal that these two key allies in War against Terror have seldom been on the same page since they had ‘befriended’ each other on October 20, 1947.

Here follow the 10 historic facts about the nearly 64-year old “love-hate relationship” between the United States and Pakistan (from more recent to past history):

1) It has been exactly two years since the amended version of the ‘controversial’ Kerry Lugar Bill was unanimously approved by the US senate and an announcement in this context was made by none other than the US President Barack Obama in September 2009, but Pakistan is yet to receive any substantial chunk out of it.

It is noteworthy that in less than a week’s time from now, the on-going American financial year will end and the new fiscal will begin on October 1, but the ‘pledged’ American dollars are no where in sight yet.

A Geo Television report of September 24, 2009, had stated: “US President Barrack Obama Thursday said the US senate has unanimously approved the amended Kerry-Lugar bill. He made the above announcement while addressing the Friends of Democratic Pakistan summit. The US president said under the Kerry-Lugar bill Pakistan will be provided financial aid of 1.5 billion dollars per year for five years. The condition of cooperation with India has been removed from the bill while a new condition of cooperation with the neighbours on war against terrorism has been included in the amended bill. The condition on Dr Abdul Qadir Khan has also been struck out.”

2) Pakistan has so far received over $18 billion in military and economic aid from Washington DC since 9/11, official Congressional documents reveal.

Meanwhile, a Press Trust of India report of February 23, 2010, which was carried by major Indian newspapers like “The Times of India” and “The Hindu” etc, had also quoted the figures from the US Congressional documents.

The Press Trust of India report had stated: “A Congressional compilation of US aid to Pakistan says Islamabad has received $6 billion in civilian aid after the September 11 terrorist attack in New York. The Obama administration in its latest annual budget has proposed $1.6 billion in military assistance and about $1.4 billion as civilian assistance to Pakistan. This takes the total US aid to Pakistan to more than $20.7 billion post 9/11, according to the data compiled from information received from the Departments of Defence, State and Agriculture and US Agency for International Development.

Of the military assistance, the maximum amount $7.345 billion has gone to Pakistan as Coalition Support Fund (CSF), which many do not consider as foreign assistance as this is reimbursement that Pakistan receives for its support of the US military operations in Afghanistan.”

The official Indian news agency had gone on to write in its February 2010 report: “This is followed by $2.164 billion as foreign military assistance. After coming to power, the Obama administration has so far provided $1.1 billion ($400 million in 2009 and $700 million in 2010) for Pakistan Counter-insurgency Fund/Counter-insurgency Capability Fund. For the year 2011, Obama has proposed to the US Congress $1.2 billion for Pakistan under this category.”

3) In October 1999, the American aid to Pakistan was cut off (for the sixth time since the signing of the 1954 defence pact, when the then Army Chief General Pervez Musharraf had staged a bloodless coup, ousting the then Premier Nawaz Sharif. The US government promptly invoked fresh sanctions under Section 508 of the Foreign Appropriations Act, which included restrictions on foreign military financing and economic assistance.

The assistance was thus restricted to refugee and counter-narcotics assistance only. Aid to Pakistan had dropped dramatically from 1991 to 2000 to a dismal $429 million in economic funding and $5.2 million in military assistance.

4) The Pak-US relations had also suffered a serious setback in 1998, after the then Premier Nawaz Sharif opted to test the country’s nukes. A presidential visit scheduled for the first quarter of 1998 was postponed and, under the Glenn Amendment, US sanctions again restricted the provision of credits, military sales and economic assistance to Pakistan.

5) When the Soviets withdrew from Afghanistan in 1990, US military aid to Pakistan was again suspended under the Larry Pressler Amendment. However, in 1995, the Brown Amendment authorised the delivery of military equipment worth $368 million.

6)) In December 1979, the former Soviet Union invaded Afghanistan and the United States gave $2.19 billion in military assistance to Pakistan between 1980 and 1990 as ‘reward’ for blocking and resisting the raging Soviets. This military aid was in addition to $3.1 billion economic assistance.

7) In April 1979, the United States again severed its military ties with Pakistan due to Washington’s concerns about Islamabad’s nuclear programme and construction of a uranium enrichment facility, though food assistance under the Symington Amendment had remained unaffected.

8) During the 1971 Pakistan-India war, the US again suspended its military aid to Pakistan, but resumed limited financial aid in 1972, after Islamabad had facilitated President Nixon’s tour to China the same year.

9) The first time the US had suspended its military aid to Pakistan was during the 1965 Pak-India war. Ten years down the lane, in 1975, the US arms sales to Pakistan resumed and Islamabad received $50 million in military grants, $19 million in defence support assistance and $5 million in cash or commercial purchases.

10) Both Pakistan and America had first inked a mutual defence accord on May 19, 1954 at Karachi, which had actually facilitated the influx of $2.5 billion economic aid and $700 million military assistance from Washington DC to Islamabad till 1964.

As far as America’s military adventures (both scripted and unscripted) are concerned, the world super power has intruded in the affairs of at least 50 countries of the world over 130 times during the last 121 years.

These numbers were incorporated by this scribe in one of his earlier reports after an in-depth research was conducted with assistance sought from renowned US scholar Dr Zoltan Grossman’s book “From wounded knee to Libya: A Century of US military interventions,” and from celebrated author William Blum’s books “A brief history of US interventions: 1945 to Present” and a best seller “Killing Hope: US Military and CIA Interventions Since World War II.”

A quick glance into the US military history unveils the fact that although the Americans have been in the battle-field since 1775 or the year in which they had gained independence from the British Empire, their spirited quest for supremacy has continued unabated since its first involvement in the affairs of Argentina in 1890.

Moreover, since the September 11, 2001 episode, the US Congress has approved $1.283 trillion for military operations, base security, reconstruction, foreign aid, embassy cost and healthcare of the veterans, taking part in the still ongoing War on Terror.

The War on Terror is thus the second costliest American offensive in the country’s 236-year old military history after the World War II, which had cost Washington DC an amount equivalent to $4.1 trillion when converted to current dollars. (Reference: CNN report of July 20, 2010)