Ritik Gupta
On the introductory day of the 117th Congress, a legislator has submitted a bill in the US House of Representatives to cancel the title of Pakistan as a Major non-NATO Ally. Introduced by Republican Congressman Andy Biggs, the bill eliminates Pakistan’s tag as a major non-NATO ally. This status authorizes several advantages, such as access to excess US defense supplies and participation in cooperative defense exploration and advancement undertakings.
The bill moreover remarks that the US President cannot hand out a distinct designation of Pakistan as a significant NATO ally unless a presidential certification that Pakistan proceeds with to perform military operations contributes to considerably disrupting the oasis and independence of movement of the Haqqani Network in Pakistan. It further yearns a presidential certification that Pakistan has taken strides to illustrate its allegiance to staving off the Haqqani Network from wielding any Pakistani territory as a refuge. The Pak government vigorously coordinates with Afghanistan to constrain the activity of militants, such as the Haqqani Network, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border.
The bill then solicits the president to authorize that Pakistan has exhibited growth in jailing and litigating Haqqani Network senior administrators and mid-level investigators. Pakistan was appointed a Major non-NATO ally during the Bush Administration in 2004. Presently, there are 17 major non-NATO allies.
The designation bestows upon the countries a right to join the collaborative research and advancement operations with the Department of Defense (DoD) on a shared-cost footing, participation in specific counter-terrorism endeavors, purchase of drained uranium anti-tank sessions, preference delivery of military residue (ranging from rations to ships).
It also provides them admission to War Reserve Stocks of DoD-owned appliances that are maintained outside of American military headquarters, gives them loans of equipment and material for cooperative research and development programs and examinations and authorization to utilize American financing purchase or lease of specific defense apparatus.
The designation among other things expedites export filtering of space technology and consent for the country’s companies to contest specific DoD contracts for the rehabilitation and supervision of military equipment outside the United States.
Nevertheless, President Trump, in January 2018, rescinded all monetary and defense assistance to Pakistan. The outgoing Trump Administration even contemplated annulling the designation of Pakistan as a Major non-NATO ally.
For the record, under the Obama Administration, the US-appointed India as a Major Defence Partner.
