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U.S. military aid too for Pakistan

Washington: The actual U.S. aid to Pakistan is likely to be much higher than the $1.5 billion for civilian purposes being talked about at present, as it will also include “substantial military aid” to help the country counter terrorists, a top American official for the region has said.

“Specific numbers would be worked out in the course of the next few weeks and months in the budget that has to go up to the Congress,” said Richard Boucher, Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asian Affairs.

The Kerry-Lugar bill, which would soon be introduced in Congress, stipulates tripling of non-military aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion for the next five years. Meanwhile, John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who along with its ranking member Richard Lugar would be introducing the legislation, said the legislation would institute “strict new accountability” for security assistance to Islamabad, which would no longer be a “blank cheque”. The proposed bill would be a keystone of the new “smart power” approach of the Obama administration, he said. On the military side, Mr. Kerry said, it would include mechanisms to make Pakistani military accountable in the fight against terror. — PTI

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