US Senate approves Pakistan aid package
USA: The US Senate on Wednesday approved a bill to triple civilian US
aid to Pakistan, a bid to cement a long-term partnership to defeat
Islamist fighters who threaten the nuclear-armed ally’s stability.
Lawmakers unanimously approved the plan to provide 7.5 billion
dollars in humanitarian and economic aid over five years and recommend
that level for another five years, while tying US military aid to
progress against extremists.
“This legislation marks an important step toward sustained economic
and political cooperation with Pakistan,” said Senator Richard Lugar,
the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The House of Representatives passed its version of the legislation in
mid-June, and the two chambers must now work out and approve a
compromise bill before President Barack Obama can sign the measure into
law. “Pakistan is facing a critical moment,” Democratic Senator John
Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who
crafted the bill with Lugar, said after lawmakers agreed to approve it
without dissent.
Supporters of the measure say they hope it will convince Pakistanis
who are deeply skeptical of US support and goals that Washington stands
with them against Islamists over the long haul and has their best
interests at heart. “Today the Senate has made a clear bipartisan
commitment to replace an atmosphere of mutual distrust and lack of
accountability with a broad-based, durable commitment to Pakistan and
its people,” said Kerry. The measure de-links civilian aid aimed at
boosting education, democratic governance, and sustainable economic
growth for Pakistan’s 170 million people from military assistance that
would be approved on a year-to-year basis.
And it ties military aid to certification that Pakistan security
forces are doing their utmost against Al-Qaeda, other terrorist groups,
and the Taliban from using Pakistan’s territory as a base while “not
materially interfering” in the country’s political or judicial
processes. Washington, Thursday, AFP
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