IN what is rare good news about the state of the US-Pakistan relationship, the House Foreign Affairs Committee of Congress has rejected a proposal to block all aid to Pakistan. The suggested amendment to cut off assistance, which if passed could have dealt a serious blow to cooperation between the two countries, was first drafted in response to the presence of Osama bin Laden in Abbottabad. On Thursday, it was rejected in a 39-5 vote. The count is an encouraging signal; despite recent reports about American lawmakers' scepticism regarding the alliance with Pakistan, it has shown there is still an influential constituency of those in Congress who realise the importance to America's own security of maintaining the relationship. Raising concerns on television and in public remarks is less costly than actually passing legislation that could endanger counterterrorism cooperation and affect stability in a region where America is at war. The committee's rejection of the amendment reflected that realistic assessment.

What has been proposed, though, is tying assistance to Pakistan's efforts against nuclear proliferation and terrorism and its help in investigating how Bin Laden was able to take cover here. Given the amounts of aid under discussion, it should come as no surprise to anyone that conditions might be attached to it in light of the Bin Laden discovery. While these should not compromise national sovereignty or security, reasonable requests for action — in this case, action that will benefit Pakistan as well — should be recognised as the reality Pakistan faces as a nation that relies heavily on foreign assistance. The bill is yet to go to the broader House or the Senate, and given the Obama administration's inclination to maintain aid to Pakistan, it is possible that the Democratic majority in the Senate will reject the bill or ask for it to be watered down. That said, there is still a significant amount of legwork to be done before anything is finalised. As American lawmakers proceed, they would do well to keep in mind the importance to both countries of maintaining a close working relationship.