Pakistan's military Wednesday expressed “serious concern” over a proposed multibillion-dollar US aid package seen as an avenue to American meddling. The military's unusual public statement opens a rift with the weak US-backed civilian administration in Islamabad and bolsters opposition leaders. It also appears intended to show the Pakistani people that their army is not taking orders from Washington. The aid bill, which awaits US President Barack Obama's signature, would provide Pakistan with $1.5 billion a year over the next five years to spend on democratic, economic and social development programs. Obama delays signing of bill Pakistan's Geo News quoting unnamed sources in Washington reported Wednesday that President Obama delayed signing Kerry-Lugar bill amid reports of criticism on the bill in Pakistan. US officials say the bill's broad goal is to alleviate widespread poverty among the 175 million Pakistanis, lessening the allure of Taleban and other extremists who have wreaked havoc in the country and across the border in Afghanistan. But to many in Pakistan, the conditions attached to the aid are a sign of growing, and unwanted, US influence in Pakistan. Pakistan's Parliament Wednesday debated the bill. The worries are burnished by a media-fueled backlash over US plans to add hundreds more embassy staff in Islamabad. American officials say the added staff are needed to disburse and monitor the cash flow. “The question in Pakistani minds is: ‘Is so much intrusion worth what we will be getting?”' said Ayaz Amir, a journalist and member of Parliament with the Pakistan Muslim League-N. “Once we accept the terms of this bill and we start receiving aid under it, already great American influence will grow.” The military's statement was vague. It said senior commanders, including the army chief, “expressed serious concern regarding clauses (of the bill) impacting on national security.” But it also referred to the parliament's deliberation on the subject, which it said would allow “the government to develop a national response.” The statement came after local media reports signaling military displeasure with the bill. One part of the bill says the US must assess the extent of control Pakistan's government has over the military, including its budgets, the chain of command and top promotions. Pakistan's government and the US embassy Wednesday defended the aid bill, while Pakistan Information Minister Qamar Zaman Kaira said the government would look into the army's reservations. Opposition leaders object to a number of items in the bill, including references to the southwest city of Quetta and eastern town of Muridke as militant hubs - a claim they say there is no evidence to back up. Language in the bill that says the US will expect Pakistan to cooperate in efforts to dismantle nuclear weapons supplier networks alarms some because it suggests Pakistan provide “direct access to Pakistani nationals associated with such networks.” Aside from specifics, critics say the bill paints Pakistan as a misbehaved child needing a monitor, and does not give it enough praise for the sacrifices and progress it has made against militants on its soil.
