New Delhi, May 21
India is disappointed over the decision of a US Congressional committee approving a law tripling non-military aid to Pakistan and is expected to take up the matter with Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who is expected to visit New Delhi soon.
Official sources observed that Washington was extending aid to Pakistan, obviously to keep it in a good humour though it was fully aware of the ground situation in this region.
“We have seen in the past that such assistance to Pakistan has always been used against India. Pakistan’s track record should have been taken into account. Any such aid to Islamabad should come with a rider that it would not be used against India…it is disappointing,’’ the sources added.
They were also surprised that the US Foreign Affairs Committee, the Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement (PEACE) Act, replaced word ‘India’ with ‘neighbouring countries’ with regard to Pakistan not allowing its territory to be used to launch terror attacks.
These issues will figure prominently during discussions between the Indian side and Hillary Clinton, who is likely to visit New Delhi in July.
This would be the first top-level visit to India from Washington since the Obama administration assumed office in January.
There are also indications that Prime Minister Manmohan Singh could meet President Obama on the margins of the G-8 summit in Italy in July. The two leaders had met for the first time in
London on the sidelines of the G-20 meet in early April.However, nothing concrete emerged from that meeting since the process of the Lok Sabha elections in India had already been set in motion.
n Three-fold hike in US aid to Pak P20
