Two Republican Lawmakers are looking to pass a bill that would make Pakistan a terrorist state.
On Tuesday Texas Congressman Ted Poe, the Chairman of the House Subcommittee on Terrorism, and California Congressman Dana Rohrabacher, introduced a bill that would designate the country of Pakistan as a state sponsor of terrorism.
“Not only is Pakistan an untrustworthy ally, Islamabad has also aided and abetted enemies of the United States for years,” Poe said in a press release. “From harboring Osama bin Laden to its cozy relationship with the Haqqani network, there is more than enough evidence to determine whose side Pakistan is on in the War on Terror. And it’s not America’s.”
The bill would require the Obama Administration to provide a formal answer on whether or not Pakistan has provided support for international terrorism. After that it would require a follow-up response from John Kerry with justification of their conclusion.
Secretary John Kerry with Pakistani Prime Minister Sharif
“This bill will require the Administration to formally answer this question. The President must issue a report within 90 days of passage detailing whether or not Pakistan has provided support for international terrorism,” Poe’s statement said. “Thirty days after that, the Secretary of State must issue a follow-up report containing either a determination that Pakistan is State Sponsor of Terrorism or a detailed justification as to why Pakistan does not meet the legal criteria for designation.”
Rep. Poe’s Press Release concluded, “It is time we stop paying Pakistan for its betrayal and designate it for what it is: a State Sponsor of Terrorism.”
In an interview with India’s CNN News 18, Rep. Poe told Zakka Jacob that he agreed that calling Pakistan an “Ivy League of Terrorism” was an accurate descriptor and that there is now “a mountain of evidence against Pakistan” that it supports terror.
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