Washington, July 31: Sixteen prominent US Congressmen have said they would support additional assistance to Pakistan only if President Pervez Musharraf demonstrated progress "beyond the verbal commitments" on the three issues of non-proliferation, democratisation and terrorism, including cross border infiltration in Jammu and Kashmir. In a signed letter to President George W Bush, they said Musharraf "should demonstrate real progress beyond the verbal commitments he has made on each" of the issues.

"It is time to dismantle the terrorist networks that threaten Pakistan's internal stability and engage in terrorism across the line of control in Kashmir. Pakistan can no longer afford its dalliance with Jaish-e-Mohammed, Lashkar-e-Taiba, Harkat-ul-Mujahideen or Hizb-ul-Mujahidin," they said in the strongly-worded letter released to the media today. "It is not enough to move terrorist camps from Pakistani controlled Kashmir to the Punjab, the camps, and the groups must be dismantled, the terrorist financial networks must be eliminated and the terrorists must be arrested and prosecuted, not merely put under house arrest or other informal detention," the lawmakers said.

Stating that they were "pleased that the administration has raised the question of conditionality of any future assistance for Pakistan," the Congressmen warned that Pakistan presents the us with a plethora of policy challenges.
Bureau Report