McCaul Says He Hoped Pakistan Aid Bill Would Include Stronger Terrorism Mandates

Instant New Katy
by John Pape

Rep. Michael McCaul (R-Austin) said this week’s passage of the "Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act" would help that nation’s efforts to counter terrorism, but should have included stronger assurances Pakistan’s intelligence service is not collaborating with Pakistani extremists and terrorists.

Congress passed the bill earlier this week. President Barack Obama has signaled he will sign it into law.

The legislation will triple non-military aid to Pakistan to $7.5 billion over the next five years.

The bill does carry riders demanding Islamabad take strong counter-terrorism measures, as well as prevent attacks on the West and neighbors like India.

McCaul said those requirements were needed, but the legislation should have gone farther, including requiring access to the founder of Pakistan’s nuclear program.

"What’s good about the bill is that it expands Pakistan’s resources to bolster its counter-insurgency efforts. Those efforts are vital to our strategy to destroy al Qaeda which continues to plot against the United States using Pakistan’s Tribal Areas as a safe haven," McCaul said. "However, I believe the Congress should have attached more demands to the funding. This bill doesn’t place enough pressure on Pakistan to allow the United States direct access to A.Q. Khan, who is widely regarded as the founder of Pakistan’s nuclear program and has confessed to helping arm Pakistan, Libya, Iran and North Korea with nuclear armaments."

McCaul also said Congress should have required stronger assurances that Pakistan’s intelligence community is not working in partnership with tribal extremists. He pointed out that those areas are suspected of continuing to shelter terrorists.

"We also need assurances that the Pakistan Intelligence Services isn’t collaborating with the extreme militants in the tribal areas at the expense of the U.S. taxpayer. Remember this is the country that brought us Ramzi Yousef, the 1993 World Trade Center Bomber and his uncle Khalid Sheik Mohammad, the mastermind of 9-11. In fact if Osama Bin Laden is alive today, he is in the Tribal Areas of Pakistan."

McCaul’s congressional district includes much of the Katy area.

The bill was originally introduced in the Senate by then-Sen. Joe Biden in his former capacity as chair of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, along with its ranking member, Sen. Dick Lugar.

The legislation underwent several changes and was re-named the Kerry-Lugar bill.