Re: Pakistan debt-forgiveness
Back at the end of October, I sent the following letter to the Prime Minister's Office expressing my anger that Canadian were not consulted before nearly half a billion dollars was given to Pakistan as reward for their participation in the war against Afghanistan (I've changed the @ symbols to [at], obviously).
-----BEGIN PGP SIGNED MESSAGE----- Hash: SHA1 I have just read an article at: <URL:http://www.jang.com.pk/thenews/oct2001-daily/21-10-2001/main/main6.htm> stating that Canada has agreed to nearly half a billion dollars worth of debt-forgiveness to Pakistan. Why have Canadians not been consulted? I do not support military dictatorships, nor the development of nuclear arms -- two things Pakistan has. Mike Warren Calgary, Alberta (403) 282-7030 -----BEGIN PGP SIGNATURE----- Version: GnuPG v1.0.1 (GNU/Linux) Comment: Processed by Mailcrypt 3.5.5 and Gnu Privacy Guard <http://www.gnupg.org/> iD8DBQE73d1MEIcIhFeZEb0RAjuuAKCjEiZf5lytnVBOHd+J1tVkUPSrAQCfd6Ja GxuRZrZbMFdsiUhQSSLrQ3M= =u8ro -----END PGP SIGNATURE-----
Today, I (finally) received a response from John Manley. It follows:
Mr. Mike Warren mike [at] mike-warren.com Dear Mr. Warren: The Prime Minister has forwarded to me a copy of your e-mail of October 29, 2001, concerning Canada's decision to assist Pakistan in recognition of President Musharraf's commitment to the coalition against terrorism. I regret the delay in replying to you. The September 11 attacks against the United States compelled the international community to come together to take concerted action against the very real threat of terrorism. Canada commends the courageous stand that Pakistan has taken in joining the coalition against terrorism and believes that its pivotal role should be both recognized and supported by the international community. The conversion of $447 million in outstanding loans owed by Pakistan to the Canadian International Development Agency to a development program for the social sector is a tangible manifestation of our support for Pakistan. Canada has also eased the sanctions (with the exception of the ban on military sales), which we imposed on Pakistan following its 1998 nuclear tests. Canada's deep concern about the dangerous trend toward nuclear proliferation in South Asia is undiminished and our policy unchanged. Our ban on nuclear cooperation with Pakistan remains in place. We continue to call on Pakistan to renounce its nuclear weapons program, to sign and ratify the Comprehensive Test Ban Treaty (CTBT) and to join the Non-Proliferation Treaty as a non-nuclear weapons state. In addition, Canada has taken a leadership role in promoting the restoration of democracy in Pakistan through concerted action within the Commonwealth. Following the 1999 military coup, Pakistan was suspended from the Councils of the Commonwealth. It is still under suspension, although Canada, along with other members of the Commonwealth, has applauded President Musharraf's announcement last August that general elections will be held in October 2002. We continue to urge the Government of Pakistan to stay the course in instituting the political and economic reforms essential for a durable democracy. Thank you for taking the time to share your concerns. Yours very truly, John Manley