Washington: Despite having serious reservations on its certain provisions particularly those regulating the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists, US President Barack Obama has signed the defence spending bill seeking more transparency on the country's Pakistan policy.
"I have signed this bill despite having serious reservations with certain provisions that regulate the detention, interrogation, and prosecution of suspected terrorists," Obama said in a statement on Saturday after signing the bill in Hawaii where he is currently on his year-end vacation with his family.
The USD 662 billion defence authorisation bill for the year 2012 among other things seeks to suspend 60 per cent of its USD 1.1 billion military aid to Pakistan - under the category Pakistan Counterinsurgency Fund - till the secretaries of State and Defence report to the Congress that Islamabad is making progress in the war against terrorism particularly progress in strategies to counter manufacturing of improvised explosive devices (IEDs).
IEDs, which are mostly manufactured in Pakistan from its illicit factories, are one of the largest factors responsible for death of American troops in Afghanistan.
However, Obama in his signing statement made no reference to this provision of the bill, which had drawn widespread condemnation in Pakistan and another strain in US-Pak relationship.
The Obama Administration has maintained that the bill under no circumstances results in suspension of US military aid to Pakistan, as being interpreted by the Pakistani media.
US officials insist that the Department of Defence and the State Department would work with the government of Pakistan to meet the requirements of the bill.
The officials said that, however, there are no conditions on Pakistan under the bill, even as there are requirements that the Obama Administration needs to meet, before the 60 per cent of the USD 1.1 billion US military aid to Pakistan could be disbursed.
Under the provision of the bill, the Defence Secretary is also required to submit a report to the Congress on a discussion of US strategic objectives in Pakistan; a listing of the terrorist or extremist organisations in the country opposing US goals and against which the US encourages it to take action.
The report will also include discussion of the gaps in capabilities of Pakistani security units that will hamper the ability of Pakistan to take action against those organisations.
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