The US today designated Pakistan with ‘‘major non-NATO ally’’ status, a move which would boost security cooperation and make certain arms exports easy.In a memorandum addressed to the Secretary of State, Bush said ‘‘consistent with the authority vested in me by section 517 of the Foreign Assistance Act of 1961, as amended (the ‘‘Act’’), I hereby designate the Islamic republic of Pakistan as a major non-NATO ally of the US for the purposes of the Act and the Arms Export Control Act.’’ ‘‘You are authorised and directed to publish this determination in the federal register,’’ Bush said in a statement.The decision means Pakistan is joining an exclusive club of countries that enjoy a privileged security relationship with the US. Major non-NATO allies are eligible for priority delivery of defense material and the purchase, for instance, of depleted uranium anti-tank rounds.
