Washington: Pakistan should not expect a "blank cheque" from the US, which is looking for tangible results in return to the massive financial aid that is being proposed to be given to Islamabad, a top Republican Senator asserted on Tuesday.
"While our bill envisions sustained economic and political cooperation with Pakistan, it is not a blank cheque," said Senator Richard Lugar, Ranking member of the powerful Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
Lugar along with Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Committee, sponsored the Kerry-Lugar bill, which proposes $7.5 billion financial aid to Pakistan in the next five years, tripling the non-military assistance to the country besieged by the Taliban militants.
"The bill subjects our security assistance to a certification that the Pakistani Government is using the money for its intended purpose, namely, to combat the Taliban and Al-Qaida," Lugar said in his remarks at the Committee, which had convened a hearing on Pakistan.
Richard Holbrooke, Special US Representative for Pakistan and Afghanistan, also testified before it.
Lugar said once the money starts to flow, the Obama Administration should report to the Congress every six months on how the money is being spent and what impact it is having.
The Government Accountability Office too would be keeping a tab on the spending.