Monitoring Desk: US lawmaker Perry has introduced a bill that has been referred to the Committee on Foreign Affairs to provide for the designation of the Islamic Republic of Pakistan as a State Sponsor of Terrorism.
The bill numbered H. R. 6993 titled “Stopping Pakistani Terror Act” in the Congress seeks to designate Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism.
The Bill claims that the Islamic Republic of Pakistan shall be deemed to be a country the government of which the [US] Secretary of State determines has repeatedly provided support for international terrorism.
This Bill demands a ban on defence exports and sales, financial transactions, and others. Moreover, the Bills also demands a ban on exports from Pakistan.
It may be remembered that a group of US senators moved another bill last year in the US Senate seeking imposition of sanctions on the Afghan Taliban that could also potentially extend to Pakistan. The bill, titled ‘Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight, and Accountability Act’ demands actions against Pakistan for allegedly helping the Afghan Taliban.
Afghanistan Counterterrorism, Oversight and Accountability Act” was introduced by Senator Jim Risch, a ranking member of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee. This Act was tabled after the meeting of Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi on September 24 with Republican Senator James Risch on the sidelines of his United Nations-related engagements in New York. Moving the Act to the House after this meeting is a clear indication that US Senators did not buy Pakistan’s viewpoint and have decided to punish Pakistan for the US failures. In addition to Senators Collins and Risch, the legislation was co-sponsored by Senators Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Ron Johnson (R-Wis.), Mitt Romney (R-Utah), Rob Portman (R-Ohio), Todd Young (R-Ind.), John Barrasso (R-Wyo.), Mike Rounds (R-S.D.), Bill Hagerty (R-Tenn.), John Thune (R-S.D.), Rick Scott (R-Fla.), Mike Crapo (R-Idaho), Richard Burr (R-N.C.), Roger Wicker (R-Miss.), Jerry Moran (R-Kan.), John Boozman (R-Ark.), John Hoeven (R-N.D), Dan Sullivan (R-Alaska), Cindy Hyde-Smith (R-Miss.), Marsha Blackburn (R-Tenn.), and Roger Marshall (R-Kan.).
