US aid bill humiliating: Pakistan army

GENERAL OUTRAGE: Army chief General Kayani (L) meets soldiers in Pakistan-occupied-Kashmir.

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Islamabad: Pakistan's army on Wednesday expressed "serious concern" about a US aid bill that critics say contains conditions that amount to a humiliating violation of sovereignty as parliament began a debate on the US aid.

The US Congress last week approved a bill tripling aid for Pakistan to $1.5 billion a year for the next five years and sent it to President Barack Obama for signing into law.

The legislation is part of a bid to build a new relationship with Pakistan that no longer focuses on military ties but on Pakistan's social and economic development.

But in an effort to address US concerns that Pakistan's military may support militant groups, the bill stipulates that US military aid will cease if Pakistan does not help fight "terrorists", including Taliban and al Qaeda members taking sanctuary on the Afghan border.

The bill also seeks Pakistani cooperation to dismantle nuclear supplier networks by offering "relevant information from or direct access to Pakistani nationals associated with such networks", a reference to disgraced nuclear scientist AQ Khan who ran a black market in atomic technology.

Pakistan has declined to let foreign investigators question Khan, saying it has passed on all information gleaned from him.

The bill, co-authored by Senators John Kerry and Richard Lugar, also provides for an assessment of how effective the civilian government's control is over the powerful military.

Pakistan's army chief met his top commanders at army headquarters in Rawalpindi and reiterated that Pakistan was a sovereign state and had the right to respond to threats in accordance with its interests, the military said.

"The forum expressed serious concern regarding clauses impacting on national security," the military said.

The military, in rare public comment on a diplomatic issue, did not elaborate but said it was providing the government, which supports the US bill, with "formal input".

It acknowledged it was parliament that would debate the issue and enable the government to respond.