DiplomacyThe sanctions years
Benazir Bhutto’s second visit and Clinton’s admission on the F-16s
On her April 1995 visit Prime Minister Bhutto made the case against the Pressler Amendment, and President Clinton publicly agreed that keeping both Pakistan’s money and its planes was unfair.
1 min read
Dateline
Washington
District of Columbia, United States
38° 54′ N · 77° 02′ W
Dateline
Washington
District of Columbia, United States
38° 54′ N · 77° 02′ W
Background
Benazir Bhutto returned to power in October 1993. Her government sought to rebuild ties with Washington, which had been frozen by the Pressler sanctions since 1990. The Clinton administration, for its part, was reviewing its South Asia policy and looking for ways to engage Pakistan without abandoning its nonproliferation goals7.
What happened
Bhutto made an official working visit to the United States from 5 to 14 April 1995, which also took her to New York and Los Angeles1. She met President Clinton at the White House on 11 April and urged the repeal of the Pressler Amendment and the release of military equipment blocked since 1990, including 28 F-16s2,3. At their joint news conference, Clinton said that under US law he could not allow the aircraft to be delivered, but that he did not think it was right for the United States to keep both the money and the equipment, and that he would consult Congress about what could be done2,3.
Reactions
Bhutto’s appeal won sympathy in parts of the administration but, as the Christian Science Monitor reported, found few fans among members of Congress committed to nonproliferation, who feared rewarding Pakistan’s nuclear programme3. At home, opposition parties declared the visit a failure because it did not secure the F-16s or the repeal of Pressler4. Economic diplomacy was more productive: the visit was accompanied by moves to strengthen Pakistan’s support from the International Monetary Fund5.
Why it mattered
Clinton’s public admission that the status quo was unfair gave momentum to the effort in Congress, led by Senator Hank Brown, to ease the sanctions. Within months the Senate had adopted the Brown Amendment, the first significant loosening of the Pressler regime6.
Sources
- Pakistan – Visits by Foreign Leaders, Office of the Historian, US Department of State · Official
- The President's News Conference With Prime Minister Benazir Bhutto of Pakistan, 11 April 1995 (Public Papers, 1995, Book I), US Government Publishing Office (govinfo), 11 April 1995 · Primary document
- Bhutto's US Lament Over F-16 Jets Gains Few Fans in Congress, The Christian Science Monitor, 14 April 1995 · Press
- Pakistan: opposition declares Bhutto's US visit a failure, MEED, 1995 · Press
- Pakistan: Bhutto gains IMF support, MEED, 1995 · Press
- Pakistan aid restrictions and the Brown Amendment (CRS report 90-149, as reproduced), Congressional Research Service via GlobalSecurity.org, 1996 · Official
- Press briefing by Mike McCurry, 10 April 1995, The White House (Clinton administration archive), 10 April 1995 · Primary document
Next in The Long ArcThe Brown Amendment eases the Pressler sanctions
