The United States attempt to cut Pakistan's military or civilian aid may lead to further complications in the relations between the two countries, Pakistan's Interior Minister Ahsan Iqbal said on Thursday. Ahsan Iqbal was responding to a question from VOA's Urdu service regarding a bill introduced on Tuesday in the US House of Representatives to end non-defense aid to Pakistan.
Representatives Mark Sanford, a Republican from South Carolina, and Thomas Massie, a Republican from Kentucky, introduced the legislation to prohibit nondefense aid to Pakistan, saying "Pakistan is a country that knowingly provides resources for terrorists."
Pakistan denies this charge and counters by saying it has paid a heavy price for fighting against terrorists. Iqbal also asserted that the United States is not giving much to Pakistan in the first place.
"Right now, Pakistan is not getting significant military or non-military aid from the United States. Whatever non-military aid goes to Pakistan, it goes to NGOs through USAID. The Government of Pakistan does not get that aid," he told VOA.
Addressing a press conference at Pakistan Embassy in Washington, Ahsan Iqbal said on Thursday that any policy to bring Pakistan under pressure would not work, as he emphasised on the importance of Pakistan-American relations.
The minister said that Pakistan was conducting security operations against all terrorists without any discrimination. He said that Pakistan was not ignorant of the threats that it was facing and the country desired to compete in progress and eliminate extremism.
"Pakistan is equally committed to eliminating the menace of terrorism from the world and the international community can only be able to overcome the challenge of violence through joint efforts," he said.
Ahsan Iqbal called on the United States to build a "friendly, respectful" relationship with Pakistan and said that the country was not looking for dollars but an alliance based on mutual respect.
He said that China and Pakistan were both keen to operationalise CPEC at the earliest so that it could stimulate the economy and bring about a "meaningful change" in the lives of the people of Pakistan.
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