REFERENCE Senator Larry Pressler`s Response (Dawn June 4,) Mr Pressler writes:`My colleague Senator Glenn has given many speeches since, stating Pakistan should notget aidifitpossessed a nuclear weapon. Period. There was nothing subtle or vague about the intent of the legislation.
The Glenn amendment was passed in 1977 three years af ter India had tested, and the Pressler amendment was passed in 1985 which provided that most economic and military aid to Pakistan would be banned `unless the (US) President certified on an annual basis that Pakistan did not possess a nuclear explosive device and that the proposed United States assistance program will reduce significantly the risk that Pakistan will possess a nuclear explosive device.
The provision of the President`s certification allowed a circumvention of the Symington and Glenn amendments. If US presidents certified wrongly, it is not a matter for our country to pursue. Mr Pressler adds: `Senator Glenn made several speeches saying that the Pressler amendment was Pakistan specific and that Pakistan was lying and misbehaving`.
Senator Pressler has cited a complete speech by Senator Glenn wherein occurs the following paragraph: ` I was tempted also to address my many concerns about India`s large unsafe guarded nuclear program, but given time limitations and the focus of the hearing. I will address these concerns in another forum.` This speech within the speech of L arry Pressler can be found at the document number given as S-11066, at the site Iconoclast of September 2009.
We shall be grateful if Mr Pressler were to enlighten us in which fora Senator Glenn had pursued his stated concerns at Indian nuclear proliferation.
Mr Pressler says Ms Rabia Akhtar was evasive when asked about Dr A.Q. Khan`s role. He should be enlightened by the statement of Ruud Lubbers, former prime minister of Netherlands on August 9, 2005, that his government could not arrest Dr A.Q. Khan in 1975 and 1979 because the CIA prevented it. The next day, the State Department spokesperson refused to comment on Lubber`s statement on the grounds that `it dealt with long past events and with intelligence matters` (Dawn, August 10 and 11, 2005) So much for `lying and misbehaving` DrMuhammadRezaKazimi Karachi
