Bill tabled in US House to terminate Pakistan's status as Major Non-NATO ally

Tags: International News

A US lawmaker has introduced a bill in the US House of Representatives that would end Pakistan's designation as a major non-NATO ally and require annual certification from the President with certain conditions for Islamabad to be granted such a designation.

An overview of the news

• The bill said that giving such a status to Pakistan would require annual certification from the President, subject to certain conditions.

• The bill was introduced by Andy Biggs, who represents Arizona's Fifth District.

• The bill has been referred to the House Foreign Affairs Committee for necessary action.

• It will need to be passed by the House and Senate before the US President can sign it into law.

• Pakistan has always been giving shelter to terrorism in its country. Therefore, the US MP has introduced this bill.

• The bill states that Pakistan will have to prove that it has shown speed in action against senior leaders of the Haqqani network in its country and is conducting military operations against them.

• The US President's Office will certify Pakistan regarding this.

Major Non-NATO ally

• Major non-NATO ally (MNNA) is a designation given by the United States to close allies that have strategic working relationships with the US Armed Forces. 

• They are not members of the North Atlantic Treaty Organization (NATO).

• Major non-NATO allies are eligible for loans related to material, supplies or equipment for research, development, test or evaluation purposes.

18 major non-NATO allies

• Argentina, Australia, Bahrain, Brazil, Colombia, Egypt, Israel, Japan, Jordan, Kuwait, Morocco, New Zealand, Pakistan, the Philippines, Qatar, South Korea, Thailand and Tunisia.

• In September 2022, the US terminated the designation of Afghanistan as a major non-NATO ally.