Pakistan, India Welcome Sanction Move

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Pakistan, India Welcome Sanction Move 09/23/2001 5:56 AM EDT Email this StoryBy STEVEN GUTKIN Pakistan and India welcomed on Sunday the lifting of U.S. sanctions, a move taken by Washington to shore up support in key South Asian nations for President Bush's war against terrorism.Pakistan's ambassador to Washington, Maleeha Lodhi, told The Associated Press that the removal of the U.S. restrictions will enable Pakistan to get economic aid, a development she called "very important."India also welcomed the U.S. decision."With the removal of sanctions, we can strengthen a broad-base, forward-looking and mutually beneficial relationship with the U.S.," said a spokeswoman for the Foreign Ministry, Nirupama Rao.The sanctions were imposed in response to the Indian and Pakistani nuclear weapons programs. However, the Sept. 11 terrorist attacks in the United States changed Washington's priorities, and the Bush administration needs the two countries' support for its campaign against suspected terrorist mastermind Osama bin Laden, who is living in Afghanistan.J.N. Dixit, a former Indian foreign secretary and high commissioner to Pakistan, called the U.S. move "a very positive development ... though it has resulted from a tragic incident."Pakistan and India both have backed the American campaign.Pakistan's assistance is considered key because it borders Afghanistan and has collected extensive intelligence on that country's Taliban rulers. However, the Pakistani government's support for Washington has stirred intense opposition at home from anti-American Muslim militants.Pakistani officials have expressed hope that their cooperation with Washington would bring economic benefits. The poverty-stricken nation of 140 million people is struggling to turn around its anemic economy and relieve the burden of more than $37 billion in foreign debt.The Bush administration lifted separate sets of sanctions imposed in 1978, 1990 and 1998. All were related to Pakistan's development of nuclear weapons.The move does not apply to sanctions imposed in 1999 after Pakistan's military took over the democratically elected government.During the Cold War, Pakistan was a staunch U.S. ally, while India maintained close ties to the Soviet Union. The region's alliances have been shifting in recent years, with India-U.S. ties strengthening and Pakistan-U.S. ties faltering.Pakistan drew strong criticism from Washington for its close links with the Taliban and for the military takeover of its elected government by the current president, Gen. Pervez Musharraf.The region's geopolitical landscape changed again this week, with Pakistan and the United States drawing closer to the prospect of a united fight against Afghanistan.The lifting of sanctions against Pakistan does not apply to those imposed after Musharraf's bloodless 1999 coup, a senior Pakistani official said on condition of anonymity. That means Pakistan is still ineligible for loans from the United States and remains prohibited from sending its soldiers to the United States for training, the official said.However, the lifting of the other sanctions removes restrictions on military sales to Pakistan and makes the country eligible for new economic aid, he added.Ameerul Azeem, a spokesman for Pakistan's right-wing Jamaat-e-Islami, or Islamic Party, on Sunday called the latest U.S. overture to Pakistan "too little and too late.""Lifting of sanctions will not dampen the anti-American sentiment here," he said. "Our protests against Pakistan's cooperation with America will continue.