Washington: It's not true as if India is totally friendless in the supreme law-making body of United States. And she has earned kudos from a Congressman for border restraint on the West.

On the other hand, Pakistan, despite being a US ally on war against terror, has not passed tests in crucial areas, as is evident in a US measure that calls for officially certified declarations of "no" from Islamabad to sensitive questions.

The International Relations Committee of the US House of Representatives has unanimously approved a measure that would call on the American administration to disclose to Congress and to the people the extent to which Pakistan is fulfilling its promise to clamp down on cross-border terrorism, wind up terrorist camps in Pakistan-occupied Kashmir (PoK) and halt the proliferation of nuclear weapons technology to rogue states and terrorists.

The measure must pass several hurdles before it becomes Law, but it does show for the first time that Congress has officially acknowledged its concerns about Pakistan's role in supporting terrorism and transferring nuclear technology.

Congressman Eni Faleomavaega introduced the measure. He is the ranking member on the Subcommittee on Asia and the Pacific - a smaller body within the International Relations Committee. In that position, he presented what he calls a common sense amendment to a larger Bill.

The amendment would call on the Bush administration to report to Congress for each of the next two years on Pakistan's progress in three areas.

The first area involves closing down of terrorist camps.

"I think it's quite obvious since the time of the Afghanistan war that there are still a good number of al- Qaida presence in Pakistan, not to suggest that al-Qaida are the ones that are having this problem between Pakistan and India. But this is a very important issue that we need to make sure - that these extreme elements coming from Pakistan, whether they are al-Qaida or not, don't come and cause problems for those who live in India. I think that's a common sense concern," he observed.

The second area refers to cross-border problems. According to Faleomavaega, "60,000 men, women and children end up dead because of these cross-border problems emanating from the extremist elements, again, coming from Pakistan".

"I think I have to give credit to the Government of India. At least it's my understanding that since 1972, India has honoured this promise that it made that it would have no cross-border violations or in any way that they would do likewise. It seems that the extreme elements coming from Pakistan is causing the problem."

And the third area addressed in the amendment concerns Pakistan's alleged transfer of nuclear weapons technology to third countries.

Faleomavaega said press reports have led him to believe that Islamabad did indeed transfer such technology to North Korea at some point in time. He sincerely hopes that kind of activity has ceased. "This is tantamount," according to him, "almost like you're giving a left hand assistance for us in extricating the Taleban and the al-Qaida, but then also giving the right hand to North Korea that is now a real serious threat in the whole Asia-Pacific region. And I hate to think that Pakistan was the instrument that will allow North Korea to develop a nuclear programme."

ANI