A day after its powerful army expressed serious concern over some of the provisions in the US economic aid bill,Pakistan Government on Thursday said the legislation is not an ideal document and that it is not binding on it to accept clauses laid in it. Foreign Office Spokesman Abdul Basit said the Kerry-Lugar Bill that envisages the provision of 7.5 billion dollars in economic aid over five years is not a bilateral pact. The Kerry-Lugar bill is not a negotiated document. It is a piece of legislation drafted by the US Congress and it is not binding for Pakistan to accept it, he told the weekly news briefing. Basit also said that the US bill is not an ideal document and its language could have been better. Basits comments came a day after the army expressed serious concerns about clauses in the legislation that it said would impact Pakistans national security interests. The ruling Pakistan Peoples Party,which has pulled out all stops to endorse the Bill,was put on the backfoot by the armys criticism. Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has said the Kerry-Lugar Bills conditions are not binding on Pakistan and that his government will seek to forge consensus on the issue among political parties and all stakeholders. Basit also noted that the US President could send the Bill back to the Congress for review,but it was not for Pakistan to comment on or judge the matter.
