Congressional Statements

Pallone: Pakistani coup shows risk of waiving Pressler Amendment

Press Release
October 12, 1999

Rep. Frank Pallone, Jr., D-NJ, said today that the military coup in Pakistan offers compelling proof for why it would be unwise for the U.S. Congress to permit a waiver of the Pressler Amendment prohibition on U.S. military assistance to Pakistan.

"In light of today's coup in Pakistan, it is absurd to consider a waiver of the Pressler Amendment," Pallone said. "It was already a bad idea to waive Pressler, even before the coup. Today's action by Pakistan's military must be met with a strong demonstration of disapproval. Eliminating the Pressler waiver language from the Defense Appropriations Conference Report would be a good way to demonstrate Congressional disapproval.

"If the Pressler waiver does go through, we must keep the pressure on the Administration not to reopen the American arms pipeline to Pakistan."

The House of Representatives is expected to vote on the Conference Report for the fiscal year 2000 Defense Appropriations bill on Wednesday, October 13, 1999. That Conference Report contains language that would give the President authority to waive certain sanctions against India and Pakistan -- including the prohibition on U.S. Military assistance to Pakistan mandated by the Pressler Amendment, as well as other arms transfer controls.

"While I have long supported lifting the economic sanctions against India and Pakistan, I am concerned that provisions in the Conference Report could result in a renewal of U.S. arms transfers to Pakistan, a government that has engaged in an ongoing pattern of hostile and destabilizing actions," Pallone said.

"Ironically, we have seen several recent efforts by Pakistan to win concessions from the U.S. as a means of propping up Prime Minister Sharif's government and forestalling a military coup. These include the ill-advised attempt to have a special mediator appointed for the Kashmir conflict, as well as efforts to reopen the supply of U.S. Military equipment to Pakistan. In light of today's military coup in Pakistan, the futility of this strategy is apparent.

"The Pressler Amendment was good law when it was first adopted, and it is still good law today," Pallone continued.

"This year, we were reminded again about why the Pressler amendment was needed because of the way that Pakistan instigated the fighting in the Kargil region of Kashmir. We are also continually confronted with evidence of Pakistani involvement in nuclear weapons and missile proliferation with other hostile or unstable regimes.

"Today's coup only further reminds us of the danger of renewing U.S. Military ties with Pakistan. Pakistan's army has ruled the country for 25 of its 52-year history, so Army takeovers have been a relatively common occurrence.

"India's nuclear program, by contrast, is an indigenous program, and India has not been involved in sharing in technology with other countries.

"Also in sharp contrast to Pakistan, India's democratically-elected Prime Minister Atal Behari Vajpayee will be sworn in for another term this week, following nationwide Parliamentary elections involving hundreds of millions of voters. While Pakistan goes the way of a military coup, India continues on the path of democracy.

"For all of these reasons, it is important to keep the Pressler Amendment, targeted at Pakistan, in force. Indeed, I think we should take heed of Prime Minister Vajpayee's recent statement that the waiver of Pressler would lead to the destabilization of South Asia by rewarding those elements in Pakistan that want to prevent the resumption of the India-Pakistan bilateral talks aimed at resolving the Kashmir conflict and other issues."