[Congressional Record Volume 140, Number 145 (Friday, October 7, 1994)]
[Senate]
[Page S]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Printing Office [www.gpo.gov]


[Congressional Record: October 7, 1994]
From the Congressional Record Online via GPO Access [wais.access.gpo.gov]

 
              SENATE RESOLUTION 278--RELATING TO PAKISTAN

  Mr. ROBB submitted the following resolution; which was referred to 
the Committee on Foreign Relations:

                              S. Res. 278

  Mr. ROBB. Mr. President, I rise this morning to introduce a 
resolution calling on the State Department to carefully assess recent 
allegations regarding Pakistan's nuclear weapons program and support 
for terrorism abroad. I have serious concerns on both fronts because 
information that has come to light, if accurate, suggests that 
Pakistan's actions are directly contrary to our official 
nonproliferation and anti-terrorism policies.
  Mr. President, on August 23, 1994, former Pakistan Prime Minister 
Nawaz Sharif stated that Pakistan had produced a nuclear weapon. That 
represents a sharp departure from statements made by Pakistan 
government officials in the past that Islamabad has the technology to 
construct a nuclear device but did not maintain such a weapon in its 
arsenal.
  I am not unaware of Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto's denial of her 
predecessor's charges, nor am I unmindful of the political rivalries 
extant between herself and the former Prime Minister. I do not, 
however, lightly dismiss his remarks. Mr. Sharif would have direct 
knowledge of the scope of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program as former 
leader of the country and I believe he is a credible figure.
  Mr. Leonard Spector, a nonproliferation specialist at the Carnegie 
Endowment, observed in late August that Mr. Sharif's charge was ``the 
first time a person of this rank has been as specific'' about the exact 
status of Pakistan's nuclear weapons program. Accordingly, I would 
strongly urge the State Department to redouble its efforts to ensure 
that Pakistan is not proceeding to a more advanced stage with its 
nuclear program.
  Equally troubling, Mr. President, are allegations that Pakistan 
played a role in terrorist bombings that occurred in Bombay in early 
1993. According to the Indian Interior Minister, a leading suspect in 
the case captured by Indian authorities, Mr. Takub Menom, has 
implicated Pakistan's Inter Service Intelligence Agency (ISI) in the 
bombings that devastated central Bombay on March 12, 1993, killing over 
300 people.
  Mr. Menom accuses the ISI of providing him materiel support to carry 
out the bombing attacks in Bombay. Moreover, there are allegations that 
the ISI directly assisted Mr. Menom, his brother and their associates 
on where to locate the bombs within the city and provided 
transportation to and from Pakistan for group members.
  Mr. President, I believe these alleged activities are troublesome and 
serious. In early 1993, Pakistan was subject to active continuing 
review for possible inclusion on the terrorist watch list compiled by 
the State Department. On July 14, 1993, Pakistan was removed from the 
watch list because Pakistan had implemented a policy of ending official 
support for terrorists in India.
  Given these recent developments, I urge the State Department to 
reconsider Pakistan's status and whether it should be cited for 
sponsoring overseas terrorist activities. I believe a fair and 
impartial review of the Bombay bombings and any other Pakistani actions 
relevant to conducting terrorism abroad, specifically in India, is 
warranted at this time, and I look forward to following up with State 
Department officials to ensure this occurs.
  I ask that the full text of the resolution appear in the Record 
following this statement.
  The resolution follows:

       Whereas the United States government has longstanding 
     policies opposing the spread of terrorism and narcotics 
     trafficking;
       Whereas the United States government has committed massive 
     amounts of funding through the years to combat both of these 
     problems;
       Whereas on January 7, 1993, the Islamic Republic of 
     Pakistan was placed on the State Department's watch list of 
     nations suspected of supporting terrorism;
       Whereas on July 14, 1993, the State Department removed the 
     Islamic Republic of Pakistan from the watch list;
       Whereas former Pakistan Prime Minister Narwaz Sharif 
     recently alleged that his Army Chief of Staff, General Aslam 
     Beg, and General Asad Durrani, head of the Inter Service 
     Intelligence agency, had informed him while in office that 
     the Pakistani Army and ISI planned to conduct covert acts of 
     terrorism in other countries and fund these activities 
     through large scale narcotics sales;
       Whereas 317 Indian citizens were killed in March 1993, in a 
     series of bombings of the Bombay Stock Exchange and other 
     sites in Bombay;
       Whereas a leading suspect in the bombing has publicly 
     implicated the Pakistan government in the bombings by 
     alleging that the ISI provided weapons, money and explosives 
     for the attacks in Bombay;
       Whereas former Prime Minister Sharif recently stated that 
     Pakistan has possessed nuclear weapons for several years;
       Whereas in 1985 the United States Congress enacted 
     legislation prohibiting foreign assistance to Pakistan unless 
     the President certified that Pakistan does not possess a 
     nuclear explosive device;
       Whereas President Bush and President Clinton have been 
     unable to certify that Pakistan does not possess a nuclear 
     explosive device;
       Therefore, it is the sense of the Senate that:
       (1) The United States condemns the alleged involvement of 
     Pakistan in acts of terrorism in other countries;
       (2) The United States condemns any involvement by Pakistan 
     in the illegal manufacture, sale, transportation or 
     distribution of any narcotic substance;
       (3) The Administration should review the 1993 State 
     Department decision to remove Pakistan from the Watch List of 
     nations suspected of involvement in terrorism abroad;
       (4) The United States reaffirms current law prohibiting 
     foreign assistance to Pakistan in light of Prime Minister 
     Sharif's claim that Pakistan has possessed a nuclear weapon 
     for several years.

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