Washington, Sept. 19 (ANI): An American lawmaker has introduced a bill in the U.S. Congress seeking to strip Pakistan of the 'Major non-NATO ally' (MNNA) status.
"It's time to break ties with Pakistan, but at the very least, we should stop providing them the eligibility to obtain our own sophisticated weaponry in an expedited process. Too many of our own men and women have died because of Islamabad's treachery," The Nation quoted Texas Congressman Ted Poe, as saying after he introduced the bill.
In 2004, the then-President George Bush had granted Pakistan MNNA status in an effort to get Islamabad's help to fight Al-Qaeda and the Taliban.
The 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 U.S. loan guarantee programme, which backs up loans issued by private banks to finance arms exports, said a statement issued by the office of the Republican Congressman.
It can also stockpile U.S. military hardware, participate in defence research and development programmes, and be sold more sophisticated weaponry, the statement added.
Poe said eight years after its designation, the evidence shows that Pakistan has in fact been no ally of the U.S.
"It has cut off the supply route to our troops in Afghanistan, refusing to re-open it without the U.S. apologising and paying three times as much as before. It harbours and cooperates with the Taliban who kill American troops. The U.S. Embassy in Kabul, which is American soil, was twice attacked by what U.S.," he said. (ANI)
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