Why Hillary won't ask US to cut off aid to Pak

Former First Lady and presidential hopeful Hillary Clinton has strongly condemned the imposition of emergency in Pakistan, but has refrained from asking the United States to limit its aid programmes to the country.

According to a report in The Huffington Post, the Democratic candidate's stand may have been influenced by the fact that she has accepted tens of thousands of dollars from Pakistan's lobbyists, Cassidy & Associates. The newspaper claims that the group's founder Gerald Cassidy has "long ago maxed out his donations to her."

The paper cites information from the Foreign Agents Registration Act website, which says that Pakistan recently hired Cassidy and Associates for a $1.2 million/year contract.

"Cassidy will shill and propagandize for one year, and use its contacts in Washington--presumably including Clinton--to ensure that the billions in aid are not diminished, regardless of what the government does to its citizens and its elections," predicts The Huffington Post

 The paper adds that Pakistan's lead lobbyist Robin Raphel had served in the Clinton administration.

Such substantial donations are not prohibited by law but they do raise doubts about the objectivity of White House policies towards Pakistan if Hillary manages to win the 2008 presidential elections. Even if she loses in the presidential race, she will have a considerable influence on framing foreign policies as a member of the US Senate.

The Huffington Post points out that another democratic Presidential candidate Joe Biden, who also received money from Cassidy, has demanded that aid programmes to Pakistan should be cut off if the state of emergency is not lifted.

The case of Pakistan is not an isolated one. The paper says that foreign influence from across the globe is continuously influencing behind-the-scene action during the electoral process. The donations for presidential campaigns come from lobbyists and lawyers for Russian oligarchs, African dictators and Middle Eastern sheiks.

For example, DLA Piper, a massive campaign contributor, also represents the president of the Cote D'ivoire, the prime minister of the UAE, the Ethiopian and the Turkish governments, states the paper.

The Huffington Post reveals that Russian oligarch Oleg Deripaska has hired Alston & Bird--the employees of which have already donated over $100,000 to presidential campaigns

The paper quotes the terms of DLA Piper's contract worth $1.2 million/year with Turkey, which includes lobbying and providing governmental relations services to Turkey.

These services include, but are not limited to 'Preventing the introduction, debate, and passage of legislation that harms Turkey's interest or image', says The Huffington Post

Incidentally, DLA Piper has donated half a million to the current presidential candidates, including nearly $3, 00,000 to Hillary's campaign. John Merrigan, one of the negotiators of the Turkish contract, has personally bundled over $100,000 for Hillary, says the report.