Now, Pak can’t take US for granted
Obama pledged to increase aid to Pak, if it cracks down in border areas.
By ET Bureau |
NEW DELHI: In an early indication that pressure is going to increase on Pakistan to deliver the goods on Afghanistan, the Obama administration has pledged to increase non-military aid to Pakistan on the condition that Islamabad cracks down in the border areas, which have become a safe haven for the Taliban and the al-Qaeda.
The foreign policy agenda of US president Barack Obama and vice president Joe Biden, which was unveiled soon after the inauguration ceremony, is clear that the war against terror is focused on Afghanistan and that aid to Pakistan will be contingent on the efforts put in by Islamabad to counter the terror threat.
���Obama and Biden will increase non-military aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan,������ the foreign policy agenda said. It is clear that the new administration intends to use a combination of military tactics, diplomacy and economic aid to counter the terror threat in both Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
The agenda, which puts the two countries on top of the foreign policy agenda, clearly states that the greatest threat to US security lies in the ���resurgence of the al-Qaeda and the Taliban������ in Afghanistan and Pakistan. ���Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security ��� the resurgence of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan,������ the agenda said. Anyway, the new administration had already said that it will increase troops in Afghanistan and push NATO to do the same.
The agenda further said that the administration expected the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade, The position taken by the administration on increasing non-military aid to Pakistan mirrors the legislation that was introduced in the US Senate by Mr Biden when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The statement in the agenda is also being seen as an indication of the kind of inputs the vice president is giving on Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two countries he visited days before the inauguration.
The foreign policy agenda of US president Barack Obama and vice president Joe Biden, which was unveiled soon after the inauguration ceremony, is clear that the war against terror is focused on Afghanistan and that aid to Pakistan will be contingent on the efforts put in by Islamabad to counter the terror threat.
���Obama and Biden will increase non-military aid to Pakistan and hold them accountable for security in the border region with Afghanistan,������ the foreign policy agenda said. It is clear that the new administration intends to use a combination of military tactics, diplomacy and economic aid to counter the terror threat in both Afghanistan and
Pakistan.
The agenda, which puts the two countries on top of the foreign policy agenda, clearly states that the greatest threat to US security lies in the ���resurgence of the al-Qaeda and the Taliban������ in Afghanistan and Pakistan. ���Obama and Biden will refocus American resources on the greatest threat to our security ��� the resurgence of al-Qaeda and the Taliban in Afghanistan and Pakistan,������ the agenda said. Anyway, the new administration had already said that it will increase troops in Afghanistan and push NATO to do the same.
The agenda further said that the administration expected the Afghan government do more, including cracking down on corruption and the illicit opium trade, The position taken by the administration on increasing non-military aid to Pakistan mirrors the legislation that was introduced in the US Senate by Mr Biden when he was chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
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The legislation had suggested that non-military aid to Pakistan in the next five years should be tripled to $7.5 billion and that the money would be used for development activities including building schools, roads and clinics. The legislation had also sought further cooperation from Pakistan against the Taliban and the al-Qaeda, which use the tribal areas bordering Afghanistan as a safe haven while carrying out attacks in Afghanistan.The statement in the agenda is also being seen as an indication of the kind of inputs the vice president is giving on Pakistan and Afghanistan, the two countries he visited days before the inauguration.
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