In News
- A US Congressman has recently moved a Bill in the House of Representatives to revoke Pakistan’s designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally.
Details of the Bill
- The Bill says that Pakistan should be demoted from the major non-NATO ally status till the US President can submit a certification that it has met certain conditions.
- The conditions listed are:
- Pakistan continues to conduct military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the safe haven and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network in Pakistan;
- Pakistan has taken steps to demonstrate its commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network from using any Pakistani territory as a safe haven;
- The Government of Pakistan actively coordinates with the Government of Afghanistan to restrict the movement of militants, such as the Haqqani Network, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border; and
- Pakistan has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting Haqqani Network senior leaders and mid-level operatives.
About the Haqqani network:
- About:
- The Haqqani network is a terrorist group whose leadership is based in Pakistan, though it operates majorly in Afghanistan.
- Origin:
- The network came into being during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s and was armed and funded by the US and Pakistan to fight the Russians.
- Issues of US against Haqqani network:
- After 9/11, Haqqani turned against the US.
- US officials have long considered the Haqqani leadership to be among the closest proxies for Pakistan’s ISI.
Major Non-NATO Ally status
- Designation as Major Non-NATO Ally status (MNNA) entitles a country to some military and economic privileges.
- According to the US Department of State website, Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation.
- While MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments to the designated country.
Way ahead
- Before it can turn into a law with a signature from the President, the Bill has to be passed by the House and the Senate.
For now, it has been sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.
