Jammat-e-Islami conducted a referendum concerning Kerry Lugar Bill on October 25, 2009 and according to results about 22 million Pakistanis participated and 98% voted against the Kerry Lugar Bill. I do appreciate the efforts of Jamaat-e-Islami and its ammir Mr. Munawar Hussain. However, it is not clear that how many of the people who participated in the referendum actually read the text of the Kerry Lugar Bill. Did Jamaat-e-Islami educate the participants without any bias?

The Kerry Lugar Bill is related to financial assistance to Pakistan. In my opinion, it would have been even better if Jamaat has asked to pay a donation of one Ruppee minimum who ever participated so that at the end of the day Jamaat had collected about 22 million ruppees which could be used for some development project.

Pakistani defense analyst Dr. Shireen M Mazari has written in an article that how the Kerry Lugar Bill is seeking control over Pakistan. Here are some of excerpts of the article.

In terms of security, the assistance is on a year-by-year basis, and the US president has to certify that Pakistan’s security forces – that is the military which effectively means the army – are making concerted efforts to prevent Al Qaeda and “other terrorist groups” from operating in Pakistani territory! Given how even the loss of over a thousand security personnel has failed to convince the US that our military is doing its best under trying circumstances, the US continues to put forward the mantra of “do more”, such certification would put our security forces under US pressure and “control” for a decade at least. And for what? For weapons systems that we have done without adequately for many decades. As for getting US training in counter terrorism, that is a laugh given how inadequate the US itself has proven to be – whether it was Vietnam, Latin America, Iraq or Afghanistan.

There is also the required certification that the military is preventing Taliban sanctuaries in Pakistan from where attacks against Afghanistan can be launched – as if the whole burden on preventing cross-border movement and attacks is the responsibility of the Pakistan army, not of the NATO forces or Afghan military! Once again, the US continues to focus on a military-centric approach and has a punitive policy towards the Pakistan military.

The latter is reflected also in another requirement relating to security assistance: the US president has to certify that our security forces are not interfering in the political and judicial processes of Pakistan. While all Pakistanis wish to see this, is it the place of the US to dictate this as a conditionality? What has this got to do with military aid and fighting “terrorism”?

Even with non-security or civilian assistance, there are conditionalities which are highly intrusive and relate to democracy, independent judiciary, rule of law and so on. All laudable, but why should we need US supervision or intervention financially on these counts? After all, on these issues, it is not money that is needed but political commitment and internal reforms which the senior judiciary has already initiated. Incidentally, on one count the US has understood the Pakistani penchant for bowing before dollars: the KLB also provides a regular $5 million for the US ambassador to Pakistan to provide “critical need development or humanitarian assistance” – an open-ended provision for buying loyalties and providing the US ambassador in Islamabad with more interventionist powers within Pakistan’s domestic polity.

The point that needs to be considered is: what are the long term costs of the US assistance to Pakistan and can we do without it? Certainly, if our leadership tightened its belt, cut out its foreign trips and perks and privileges, and actually governed effectively, our resources could be generated from within. Let the parliamentarians, most of who are economically prosperous, refuse to take their bloated pay and perks packages and redirect them towards education and health in their areas. Let the wheat and sugar mafias and smugglers be apprehended and so on. And let the military continue to rely on its indigenous weapons systems and nuclear deterrence.

Bangladesh, the various military actions in Balochistan and the murder of Akbar Bugti should be important reminders of the costs of military operations against one’s own people. We have terrorist courts and paramilitary forces – isolate the militants by providing security and justice for the locals and bringing the terrorists to face the law – not simply creating more IDPs. After all, how many will we kill through military power? Use of military forces is never a solution to political problems and where the civilian government has lost its writ it should declare an emergency and move to re-establish it. Of course, if our leaders actually took time off from their foreign forays to visit their own troubled areas, it could offer solace and support to those caught in the military-militant crossfire. As for the US agenda, what part is still not clear to our rulers?

The Kerry Lugar Bill has become a law in United States. Pakistani government is required to provide the required certifications if Pakistan wants the financial assistance from US. Pakistani government now has the choice to either fulfill the requirements and get the small carrot with a huge iron stick or don’t get the aid.

All the politicians who had no problems accepting the US financial assistance with even stricter conditions, now are talking against the Kerry-Lugar Bill. However, unfortunately none of them has come up with any other alternative option to generate funds required for rebuilding the enforcing the crumbling old infrastructure and provide the general public basic necessities of life. There are 342 members of Pakistan National Assembly. If each member donates Rs.100,000 per year, the total is Rs.34.2 Millions. At least it is better than just talks!

Full Text of Kerry-Lugar Bill.