Washington:
The US is trying to ease Pakistan army over conditions attached to billions of dollars of American military aid to fight the war against terror within its own borders.
"There is nothing in this bill that impinges on Pakistani sovereignty, period, end of issue and we have no intention of doing so," said John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
But the Kerry Lugar Bill sanctioning the aid will not undergo any change, even though two of its conditions are causing serious heartburn in the Pakistan Army's top brass.
One such condition asks that the military budget for Pakistan be merged with the national budget, the other one seeks to ensure the military stays out of civilian political and judicial affairs.
"If you read the bill and the language it is not conditional and it has been going on for a long time. So my suspicion is that the military was unhappy at being sidelined in the engagement and alliance with the US," said Professor Philip Oldenburg, of the South Asian institute of Columbia University.
With the war in Afghanistan being President Obama's top priority, Washington needs the help of Pakistani military to prevent militants crossing the border into Afghanistan to fight US-led forces there. The question now is: Whether to align with the powerful military to combat the militancy or take the principled stand in support of a weak democracy?
Perhaps timed to ease tensions inside Pakistan, the US also unveiled its first batch of F-16 combat aircraft being produced for the Pakistan Air Force.
But the Pakistan government, beleaguered by the stand off with the military, has also reached out to China. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing and extracted a commitment from China for defence cooperation, if Islamabad comes up with a comprehensive strategy from Islamabad to fight terror groups.
"There is nothing in this bill that impinges on Pakistani sovereignty, period, end of issue and we have no intention of doing so," said John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
But the Kerry Lugar Bill sanctioning the aid will not undergo any change, even though two of its conditions are causing serious heartburn in the Pakistan Army's top brass.
One such condition asks that the military budget for Pakistan be merged with the national budget, the other one seeks to ensure the military stays out of civilian political and judicial affairs.
"If you read the bill and the language it is not conditional and it has been going on for a long time. So my suspicion is that the military was unhappy at being sidelined in the engagement and alliance with the US," said Professor Philip Oldenburg, of the South Asian institute of Columbia University.
With the war in Afghanistan being President Obama's top priority, Washington needs the help of Pakistani military to prevent militants crossing the border into Afghanistan to fight US-led forces there. The question now is: Whether to align with the powerful military to combat the militancy or take the principled stand in support of a weak democracy?
Perhaps timed to ease tensions inside Pakistan, the US also unveiled its first batch of F-16 combat aircraft being produced for the Pakistan Air Force.
But the Pakistan government, beleaguered by the stand off with the military, has also reached out to China. Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani met with Chinese President Hu Jintao in Beijing and extracted a commitment from China for defence cooperation, if Islamabad comes up with a comprehensive strategy from Islamabad to fight terror groups.
