Washington, D.C. -- Congresswoman Jane Harman (D-CA), Chair of the Homeland Security Subcommittee on Intelligence & Terrorism Risk Assessment, spoke on the floor today in support of HR 1886 – The Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement Act.  HR 1886 incorporates much of the language from legislation that Harman co-authored with Reps. Tauscher (D-CA), Connolly (D-VA) and Royce (R-CA) limiting military aid to Pakistan after 2010 on an assessment by the President that the country is continuing to cooperate with US efforts to dismantle clandestine nuclear weapons supplier networks.

Harman’s remarks as prepared:

I applaud Chairman Berman and his committee for developing legislation to provide long-term, non-military support to a country which is in the cross-hairs of the effort by the Taliban to expand its reach in South Asia.

This effort will help persuade the Pakistani people that their future lies with a stable and moderate, democratic government – not with an authoritarian, theocratic terrorist organization.

But I rise today to highlight important language in this bill ensuring access of US investigators to persons suspected of engaging in nuclear proliferation.  This issue is critical and this language must become law.

I strongly disagree with comments from the other Chamber that these requirements are overly restrictive or counterproductive.

Pakistan's history of nuclear weapons development has contributed to instability in South Asia and paved the way for AQ Khan's insidious and highly profitable proliferation network.

Should we provide substantial non-military support, we must assure ourselves that this key security threat to the US is minimized.

For at least a decade, AQ Khan’s illicit network was the most attractive shortcut for nations and rogue organizations interested in acquiring the materials and know-how to build a nuclear device.

After illegally securing the capability for Pakistan, which made him a hero at home and a pariah abroad, Khan and his network sold it to Iran, Libya and North Korea.

Despite the “break up” of his multinational ring in 2003, Khan and many of his colleagues escaped punishment – and details about his network remain murky.  In my years and many briefings on the Intelligence Committee, I was never persuaded that the Khan network was or is completely dismantled.

To date, Pakistan hasn’t had much motivation to provide information to support the prosecution of – or even allow the US to question – Khan and his compatriots.  We are still denied access to him.

Despite billions of US dollars in aid, former Pakistani President Pervez Musharraf pardoned Khan – and earlier this year, the Islamabad High Court released of him from house arrest.

HR 1886 declares that the US will work with Pakistan to ensure our investigators have access to suspected proliferators, and to restrict them from travel or other activity that could result in further proliferation.

It incorporates much of the language in a bill that I co-authored with Representatives Tauscher, Connolly and Royce conditioning military aid after 2010 on an assessment by the President that Pakistan is continuing to cooperate with us in efforts to dismantle nuclear weapons supplier networks.

This is the right thing to do, and I thank Chairman Berman for including this critical metric.

The world can’t afford another Libya, Iran or North Korea. 

And we certainly don’t want a new nuclear power called al Qaeda.