US Senate rejects vote on Pak aid cut bill

The majority of Democratic leadership in the United States Senate prevented a key Republican Senator from moving a vote on his amendment that if passed would have cut off all US aid to Pakistan till release of the imprisoned physician who helped the Central Intelligence Agency trace Osama bin Laden.In a statement, Senator Rand Paul said that the senate majority leader, Harry Reid, blocked his attempt to allow a vote on his Pakistan amendment, as well as a new amendment cutting funding to Egypt and Libya pending the discovery and release to FBI authorities the perpetrators of attacks on US consulate and US embassy.The two amendments were introduced on Wednesday evening.Early this week, Paul had written a letter to Harry Reid seeking a vote on his Pak amendment.Because of the urgency of seeing that Afridi is freed, I am prepared to pursue any and all means to secure a vote on my bill immediately, including objecting to other Senate business and recessing the Senate for the election, Paul wrote in a letter on Monday to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid.