The reservations of the Pakistani army over the Kerry-Lugar law (KLL) remain unchanged despite the issuance of an explanatory note by the sponsors of the American aid bill and its subsequent acclamation by the government.
According to a military source, the explanatory note issued by John Kerry to address the concerns of the Pakistani military leadership has no legal status. Kerry, one of the sponsors of the bill, had said upon the conclusion of his recent meetings with Pakistan’s civil and military leadership that it was only Nawaz Sharif who still had reservations over the legislation.
When asked about the reaction of the Pakistan army, he said that both the government and the army were on the same page, which implied that they had accepted the KLL.
The military source said that Kerry’s statement was not reflective of the response of the army, which after due consideration had decided to make its concerns public by issuing a press release.
When asked why the army did not issue a rebuttal or clarification to Kerry, the source retorted: “Do you really think that the Pakistani army should respond to what John Kerry says?”
Following the 122nd Corps Commanders Conference held on October 7, the chief of army staff said that Pakistan was a sovereign state and had the right to analyse and respond to threats in accordance with its national interest.
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