Khan calls on Pakistan to break its reliance on US aid

[The Northerner]

ISLAMABAD: The Pakistani cricket great turned political firebrand Imran Khan wants Pakistan to distance itself from Washington by rejecting all American aid to the country.

Pakistan is now more vulnerable than at any time in its 63 years of existence following the US operation in Abbottabad that killed Osama bin Laden, Mr Khan said in an interview with the Herald in Islamabad.

"The biggest lesson to learn is that Pakistan should stand on its own feet, say no to aid and be a sovereign country," he said. "Our government policies have been dictated by aid, they have enslaved us by aid."
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It is estimated Washington has given Islamabad approximately $US20 billion in aid over the past decade.

Mr Khan will next week lead supporters of his political party, Pakistan Tehreek-e-Insaf (Movement for Justice), in a "huge blockade" of NATO's military supply route that goes though Pakistan to Afghanistan in protest at the US drone strikes inside Pakistan.

Read more: http://www.smh.com.au/world/khan-calls-on-pakistan-to-break-its-reliance-on-us-aid-20110511-1eixq.html?from=smh_sb

[applegrove]

1. Bill Maher said that the US should give money to Pakistan once they have had

success in some policy/action. Instead we paid them to help find bin Laden and of course they were in no hurry to do it so the money would keep flowing.