U.S. not to give Pak CSF dues till NATO supply route reopened, 'Osama doc' released

Washington, June 8 (ANI): The U.S. Senate Armed Services Committee has approved a draft of the National Defense Authorisation Act 2013 (NDAA) which earmarks 1.75 billion dollars in Counterinsurgency Funds for Pakistan, but none of it can be released until Pakistan re-opens the NATO supply routes, or the condition is waived by the Secretary of Defense.

The bill, which allocates money for the U.S. defense budget for fiscal year 2013, is yet to be debated in Senate. The bill also allocates 15million dollars for Pakistan, which allows the Secretary of Defense to help provide "training, equipment, supplies, and services to ministries and other entities of the Government of Pakistan that the Secretary has identified as critical for countering the flow of improvised explosive device precursor chemicals from Pakistan to locations in Afghanistan", reports The Express Tribune.

The bill also states that Pakistan may not be given any funds for the period during which the supply routes between Afghanistan and Pakistan were closed.

Also, no reimbursement payments can be made until the Secretary of Defense testifies that Pakistan has re-opened and is maintaining security along the supply routes, that Pakistan is not providing support to militant groups such as the Haqqani Network, and "is taking actions to prevent such groups from basing and operating in Pakistan."

The conditions placed on the reimbursements also include that Pakistan must commit to make an effort towards countering IEDs, and co-operate with the U.S.' counterterrorism efforts, "including by not detaining, prosecuting, or imprisoning citizens of Pakistan as a result of their cooperation with such efforts, including Dr Shakil Afridi."

The NDAA draft bill says that the Secretary of Defense may be allowed to waive this certification if it is in national security interests of the U.S. (ANI)