US to revoke Pakistan’s designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally

In News

• A US Congressman has recently moved a Bill in the House of Representatives to revoke Pakistan’s designation as a Major Non-NATO Ally.

Details of the Bill

• The Bill says that Pakistan should be demoted from the major non-NATO ally status till the US President can submit a certification that it has met certain conditions.
• The conditions listed are: 
  • Pakistan continues to conduct military operations that are contributing to significantly disrupting the safe haven and freedom of movement of the Haqqani Network in Pakistan; 
  • Pakistan has taken steps to demonstrate its commitment to prevent the Haqqani Network from using any Pakistani territory as a safe haven; 
  • The Government of Pakistan actively coordinates with the Government of Afghanistan to restrict the movement of militants, such as the Haqqani Network, along the Afghanistan-Pakistan border; and 
  • Pakistan has shown progress in arresting and prosecuting Haqqani Network senior leaders and mid-level operatives.

About the Haqqani network:

• About:
  • The Haqqani network is a terrorist group whose leadership is based in Pakistan, though it operates majorly in Afghanistan. 
• Origin:
  • The network came into being during the Soviet occupation of Afghanistan in the 1980s and was armed and funded by the US and Pakistan to fight the Russians. 
• Issues of US against Haqqani network:
  • After 9/11, Haqqani turned against the US.
  • US officials have long considered the Haqqani leadership to be among the closest proxies for Pakistan’s ISI.

Major Non-NATO Ally status

• Designation as Major Non-NATO Ally status (MNNA) entitles a country to some military and economic privileges. 
• According to the US Department of State website, Major Non-NATO Ally (MNNA) status is a designation under US law that provides foreign partners with certain benefits in the areas of defense trade and security cooperation. 
• While MNNA status provides military and economic privileges, it does not entail any security commitments to the designated country.

Way ahead

• Before it can turn into a law with a signature from the President, the Bill has to be passed by the House and the Senate. 

For now, it has been sent to the House Foreign Affairs Committee.