New Delhi, Sep 15 (Inditop.com) India will take up the issue of Pakistan’s diversion of US aid for building anti-India infrastructure when External Affairs Minister S.M. Krishna meets US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton Sep 25 in New York.
“S.M. Krishna will meet Hillary Clinton in New York,” reliable sources told Inditop here Tuesday evening, adding “It’s a serious issue, and the US is also equally concerned.”
The move comes in the wake of concerns expressed over former Pakistan president Pervez Musharraf’s confession about US aid being diverted against India.
“There is nothing new in it, misuse of US military aid has been happening since the 80s. We will bring it to the US’ attention,” the source said.
On Monday, Minister of State for External Affairs Shashi Tharoor had asked Washington to monitor its aid to Islamabad.
“We support countries helping Pakistan fighting against terrorism, but we do not expect the aid turned against us,” Tharoor had told reporters here.
The US should monitor its aid to Pakistan, he said, adding that Musharraf’s disclosure did not surprise India.
Musharraf’s revelation confirms India’s stand on misuse of US aid by Pakistan, he said.
Musharraf had admitted in an interview that Pakistan had used the aid provided by the US for the war against terror during his regime to strengthen defences against India.
The former Pakistan president also admitted that he had violated rules governing the use of the military aid, and justified his actions by saying he had “acted in the best interest of Pakistan”. Musharraf said he “did not care” whether the US would be angered by his disclosure as he did not want to compromise on Pakistan’s interests.
The current Pakistan government has, however, denied any misuse of US aid.
The US Tuesday said that it is taking very seriously the former Pakistani president’s claim.
State Department spokesman Ian Kelly Monday said: “We take very seriously any allegation of using US-origin military assistance for purposes other than we had already agreed to and that we had intended them for.”
