WASHINGTON: Pakistan’’s hopes for civil nuclear cooperation have been a non-starter in Washington, but experts say the United States can use it as a dangling carrot as it seeks influence in Islamabad. The two nations Thursday wrapped up a first-of-a-kind “strategic dialogue,” which the United States hopes will show Pakistan’’s widely anti-American public that it cares about the country beyond seeking help against Islamic extremists. US officials stayed carefully on message, pledging respect for Pakistan and never explicitly saying no to its requests — a refusal that would have been sure to steal the headlines. Pakistan is seeking a civilian nuclear deal along the lines of a landmark agreement that the United States struck with India in 2008. The South Asian rivals stunned the world in 1998 by carrying out nuclear tests. Asked about the Pakistani request, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said the United States would listen to “whatever issues the delegation raises” and highlighted a 125-million-dollar US package to boost Pakistan’’s energy sector. A nuclear deal could help ease the developing country’’s chronic energy shortages. But it would also amount to US recognition of Pakistan as the Islamic world’’s only nuclear power, a point of pride for many Pakistanis. “At the moment this looks like a non-starter, but it shouldn”t be,” said Marvin Weinbaum, a scholar at the Middle East Institute and former State Department official. “There is no reason why we couldn”t use this as a bargaining tool to get more cooperation, to say, ”This may not be something we can deliver now, but we would like to work something out with you,”” he said. “It could have a very positive impact both with the Pakistani elite and public.” But the United States has longstanding concerns about proliferation from Pakistan — and policymakers are said to have quietly drafted a crisis plan in case the nuclear arsenal risk falling out of government control. The father of Pakistan’’s bomb, Abdul Qadeer Khan, has admitted leaking nuclear secrets to Iran, Libya and North Korea, although he later retracted his remarks. The level of separation between Pakistan’’s military and civilian nuclear programs also remains a matter of dispute. Pakistan returned to civilian rule in 2008 and President Asif Ali Zardari a year later handed over control of the nuclear program to Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani. “I think it’’s extremely premature to be talking about any civil nuclear cooperation between the US and Pakistan at this stage,” said Lisa Curtis, a senior fellow at the Heritage Foundation think-tank. “It would be more appropriate and important to be talking about conventional military cooperation, economic support and breaking down trade barriers,” said Curtis, who served in the State Department in former president George W. Bush’’s administration. Bush championed the nuclear deal with India, the signature part of his drive to build an alliance between the world’’s two largest democracies. The agreement faced criticism from some members of President Barack Obama’’s Democratic Party, who argued that it sent the wrong message as India, like Pakistan and Israel, refuses to sign the nuclear Non-Proliferation Treaty. “One of the reasons the US was able to move forward in Congress was because of India’’s solid record against proliferation and Pakistan doesn”t have that,” Curtis said. Some critics who believe the Bush agreement was too easy on India said that Pakistan’’s requests confirmed their fears. “I think the fact that we gave India such a sweetheart deal set a very dangerous precedent and it’’s no surprise that Pakistan wants a similar deal,” said Leonor Tomero of the Center for Arms Control and Non-Proliferation. She also said that Pakistan’’s request was “odd” coming so close to Obama’’s April 12-13 nuclear security summit in Washington and the Non-Proliferation Treaty review conference a month later.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
News
WASHINGTON: The United States on Thursday pledged to work to improve market access for Pakistani goods including through special economic zones, as the two nations sought to turn the page on years of distrust. Pakistan and the United States said they would seek a “wide-ranging, long-term and substantive strategic partnership,” after two days of talks led by Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi. In the joint statement, the United States said it was “committed to work towards enhanced market access for Pakistani products as well as towards the early finalization of Reconstruction Opportunity Zones legislation.” The proposal would give duty-free access to products from designated parts of the border region between Afghanistan and Pakistan, in a bid to create new industries in the longtime Taliban stronghold as they rebuild from fighting. Two Democratic lawmakers, Senator Maria Cantwell of Washington and Representative Chris Van Hollen of Maryland, proposed the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones last year but the bill has languished in Congress. The United States has launched a five-year, 7.5 billion-dollar aid package for Pakistan as part of a major initiative by Washington to chip away at anti-Americanism and support for Islamic extremists in the nuclear power. But some Pakistanis say that the United States has done too little to create a demand for its products, with key exports such as textiles facing prohibitive tariffs. The joint statement said that the two nations will also discuss drafting an investment treaty to encourage US funds in Pakistan. A senior US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, voiced hope that Congress could act on the Reconstruction Opportunity Zones now that it has completed President Barack Obama’’s landmark health-care reform. “We agreed that with health care behind us, this was something we would make another push on,” the official said. But the official cautioned that it was not realistic for Pakistan to expect a full-fledged free-trade agreement, which would require a long political process. Congress has yet to ratify three free-trade agreements — reached with Colombia, Panama and South Korea — due to concerns over human and labor rights in the Latin American nations and market access in South Korea. The United States has also been non-committal on Pakistan’’s ambitions for an agreement on civilian nuclear energy akin to a landmark deal which the United States sealed in 2008 with its rival India. The joint statement said that the United States “recognized the importance of assisting Pakistan to overcome its energy deficit,” and said it would intensify cooperation. Driving the point home, Rajiv Shah, the head of the US Agency for International Development, was to sign letters with Pakistan to go ahead with a 51 million-dollar project to refurbish and upgrade three power stations. The United States also authorized 40 million dollars in previously approved funding to rebuild a strategic, 43-kilometer (27-mile) road in war-torn Swat and expand the ring road around the northwestern city of Peshawar. The talks come as the United States cautiously welcomes what it sees as a shift in Pakistan to a more robust campaign against Islamic extremism. President Asif Ali Zardari last year ordered a major offensive against homegrown Taliban and Pakistan has since arrested leading militants. US officials have long worried that elements of Pakistan’’s military and the intelligence apparatus were supporting extremists despite their public pronouncements.
Written on March 26, 2010 | Posted in
Health,
International,
News
ISLAMABAD: Reacting to Nawaz Sharif’s press conference on constitutional package, President spokesman Farhatullah Babar said that PML-N chief comments suggested that constitutional amendments would not be possible. In a statement issued here on Thursday, he said Nawaz remarks have aired the doubt as if the N-league does not want amendments in the Constitution. The issue of judges’ appointment had been settled, he said, adding that taking up this issue at this time by the PML-N is creating doubt. Babar described the constitutional package as a new social contract among provinces. The spokesman hoped that PML-N leader would reconsider his decision.
Written on March 25, 2010 | Posted in
News,
Politics
WASHINGTON: Historic US health care reform legislation will have to return to the House of Representatives for a new vote after the Senate parliamentarian struck two minor provisions. The decision came as the US Senate met in a middle-of-the-night session to try to finish the bill, which would put the finishing touches on the sweeping healthcare overhaul signed into law by President Barack Obama on Tuesday. Senate parliamentarian Alan Frumin upheld two Republican challenges on points of order under budget reconciliation rules, Senate Democratic aides said, requiring another vote by the House. The points of order involved the revamp of the student loan program included in the package, said Jim Manley, a spokesman for Senate Democratic leader Harry Reid. Under the reconciliation rules, each provision in the package must have a budgetary impact. The decision could set up another politically difficult vote in the House, which narrowly passed the overhaul and the companion bill of final changes to cap a year-long political struggle. “We are confident the House will quickly pass the bill with these minor changes,” said Kate Cyrul, a spokeswoman for Tom Harkin, Democratic chairman of the Senate Health Committee. The ruling came after Senate Democrats had managed to fend off 30 Republican amendments designed to derail the bill. The Senate’’s approval of even one of the amendments also would have sent the entire package back to the House for another vote, and Democratic senators vowed to prevent that. Republicans had met with the parliamentarian through the evening on Wednesday in hopes of finding language in the bill that could be challenged under budget reconciliation rules that require every provision have a budgetary impact. Those rules allow passage by a simple majority of 51 votes, rather than the 60 needed to overcome procedural hurdles. The ruling means 16 lines will be stricken from the bill, but that is enough to require House action once again. The overhaul signed by Mr Obama represents the biggest changes to the US health system in four decades. It expands insurance coverage to 32 million Americans and imposes new regulations such as barring insurance companies from refusing to cover patients with pre-existing medical conditions.
Written on March 25, 2010 | Posted in
Health,
International,
News
20 paisa tax on sms suggestion has been withdrawn by government after widely criticised by young generations. And we also like to thank you all the members of this blog and viewers who wrote comments and condemned this cheap step by our government, and at the same time , we are happy that government realized [...]
Written on June 22, 2009 | Posted in
Mobile Tech
Cellphone operators have finally decided to approach the finance ministry to seek withdrawal of the recently imposed 20 paisa tax per SMS, which will hinder growth of the industry.
It is learnt that cellular phone operators have started evolving a strategy and are preparing to make a presentation to the finance ministry in this regard. Before [...]
Written on June 17, 2009 | Posted in
Mobile Tech
Well, incompetent government of PPP have done something amazing, its the cheapest step taken by any government to make money. Applying 20 paisa tax to (20,000 sms / 149 PKR) by Zong and (5,000 SMS / 80 PKR ) by telenor packages is very very ridicolous, and Mr shaukat tareen is the real genious.
I mean, [...]
Written on June 14, 2009 | Posted in
Mobile Tech,
Politics
JAZZ now brings the “Jazz One Favorite Numbers Offer”, which allows Jazz customers to talk to their favorite numbers at very economical rates throughout the day. With this offer, Jazz one subscriber can now talk with their favorite numbers for just Rs. 1.5 per 3 minutes at any time they desire.
Offer Details:
· With [...]
Written on May 29, 2009 | Posted in
Mobile Tech
Worse TV advertisements by Mobile Companies Telenor, Zong Ufone and Mobilink
In 21st century, when unique ideas are making video commercial very attractive and enjoyable, at the same time, at different Pakistanis channels, the 2nd-grade video commercials from mobile companies especially from Zong and telenor are really disappointing.
Top most Stupid Mobile Commercial by Telenor
Well, at number [...]
Written on April 28, 2009 | Posted in
Mobile Tech
