Time for divorce with Pakistan: US Congressman

A Republican lawmaker has introduced a resolution in the US Congress to terminate Pakistan's status as a "major non-NATO ally" to America, saying its time for a divorce with the country.

Introducing the resolution, Congressman Ted Poe said, "I have introduced H R 6391 to strip Pakistan of its major non- NATO ally status. We don't need to pay Pakistan to betray us. They will do it for free. Time for a divorce with Pakistan."

"And that's just the way it is," he said.

"The US granted Pakistan major non-NATO ally status to help us fight al Qaeda and the Taliban. This status gives special foreign aid and defence benefits such as an expedited arms sales process. But Pakistan has proved it's no friend to America," said the Republican Congressman from Texas.

He also cited several other recent incidents to bolster his case for passing the bill.

"Pakistan said no when we asked it to go after the terrorist havens. Pakistan twice tipped off terrorists making IEDs that kill Americans. Pakistan's intelligence arm, the ISI, helped the Haqqani network, a designated foreign terrorist organisation, to attack our embassy," he said.

"Pakistan arrested and convicted the doctor who helped us locate Osama bin Laden, the world's number one terrorist. I believe some of the money that we have given them goes to the Taliban, but Pakistan has given us no reason to trust them. They are a disloyal ally, a Benedict Arnold friend," Poe said.

In 2004, the then President George Bush granted Pakistan MNNA (major non-NATO ally) status in an effort to get Pakistan to help the US fight al-Qaeda and the Taliban.

MNNA status is significant, granting critical benefits in the areas of foreign aid and defence cooperation. A MNNA country is eligible for priority delivery of defence material, an expedited arms sale process, and a US loan guarantee programme, which backs up loans issued by private banks to finance arms exports.

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