WASHINGTON, Oct 11 The US Office of Management and Budget has sent the Kerry-Lugar bill to President Barack Obama for signature, official sources told Dawn.

All the bills passed by the US Congress are sent to the OMB, which has five days to prepare a bill for signing. Once it arrives at the president's desk, he can sign it into a law or reject and send it back to Congress for reconsideration.

The president also has the option of attaching a statement to the proposed legislation if he disagrees with some of its contents. Although such contents still remain in the law, the president's objection dilutes their impact.

Former president George W. Bush attached 700 such statements to the bills sent to him but President Obama has so far refrained from this practice, mainly because he has to deal with a friendly Congress. The lawmakers sort out possible differences before forwarding the bill to the president.

Official sources in Washington told Dawn that the Kerry-Lugar bill had not been delayed as the president had 10 days to sign it. The stipulated 10-day period expires early next week.

The heart of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman bill authorises $7.5 billion in civilian assistance - for economic development, education, health care and democratic institutions - over the next five years. There are no conditions on the $7.5 billion non-military aid. The bill, however, contains strict measures of financial accountability. Congress imposes such measures on the US executive branch, to ensure the money is spent for the purposes intended.

US legislations authorising assistance to other allies - such as Colombia and Egypt - contain similar accountability mechanisms.

There has been, however, some confusion and misunderstanding about several provisions of the bill reflected in media reports.

The US Congress and the administration insist that there's nothing in this bill that impinges on Pakistani sovereignty.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton recently described the bill as “a historic chapter” in US-Pakistan relations. “What this bill does is to strengthen the bonds of friendship and cooperation between the American people and the people of Pakistan,” she said.