Pakistan

US to boost aid to Pakistan: Report

Biden to take the message to Pakistan next week, urging officials to articulate a long-term strategy for N Waziristan.

Afp/express January 08, 2011

WASHINGTON: The United States will provide Pakistan with more military, intelligence and economic aid, even though some officials feel it is not doing enough to combat militants, The Washington Post reported late Friday.

The newspaper said Vice President Joseph Biden would take that message to Pakistan when he visits next week.

The report came as a barrage of US missiles killed up to four to five people officials described as militants in the North Waziristan tribal district on Friday, destroying a vehicle.

US officials want Pakistan to launch a ground offensive in North Waziristan to eliminate the militant threat. The United States does not confirm drone attacks, but its military and the Central Intelligence Agency (CIA) operating in Afghanistan are the only forces that deploy the unmanned aircraft in the region.

In 2010 the campaign doubled missile attacks in the tribal area, with around 100 drone strikes that have killed more than 650 people, according to an AFP tally.

The Pakistani government has publicly condemned drone attacks stating that they stoke anti-American sentiment, but cables released by WikiLeaks recently revealed that Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani had allowed drone strikes, saying they would protest the attacks in the National Assembly and then ignore them. US officials say drone strikes have severely weakened al Qaeda's leadership.

Pakistan has long been under pressure by the US to launch a military offensive in North Waziristan, but has stalled on launching a ground offensive in North Waziristan, saying its troops are overstretched. The Foreign Office however denies being under US pressure to launch an offensive in the northwestern region saying that the operation will be launched only if it is in Pakistan’s ‘interest’.

In November, The Express Tribune reported that the government had authorised Chief of the Army Staff General Ashfaq Parvez Kayani to take a final decision on when and how to launch a military operation in the North Waziristan tribal region.

According to The Post, Biden will challenge Pakistani military chief General Ashfaq Kayani and other Pakistani officials to articulate their long-term strategy for the region. He will want them to indicate exactly what assistance is needed for them to move against Taliban sanctuaries in areas bordering Afghanistan.

But US President Barack Obama and his top national security aides have rejected proposals from some military and intelligence officials to let US ground forces conduct raids against insurgent safe havens, the paper said. They concluded that the United States could ill afford to threaten or further alienate Pakistan whose cooperation is essential to the administration on several fronts, the report pointed out.

Munter denies US pressurising Pakistan

US ambassador for Pakistan Cameron Munter has denied the impression that the US is pressing Pakistan to launch an operation in North Waziristan.

He was talking to the media in Islamabad. Munter also said that the US will not hesitate to play its role on the Kashmir issue, if possible.

He also admitted that Washington made a mistake by leaving Pakistan alone in the Afghan War.

The US ambassador said his country wants long term ties with Pakistan. He also expressed condolences over the murder of late governor Punjab Salmaan Taseer.

COMMENTS (16)

abdullah | 13 years ago | Reply this is not a story i actually got it in gulf news in dubai and this is proven there r chinese firm which have got the contracts and so have the australians got it..and it has got nothing do with islam i dont hate US for any reason they r fighing 4 their interest and pkistanis r fighting for their own ...analyse things in life nothing happens without a reason ...if u dnt believe it google it and 4 sure u will get it...and the more they hate islam the more ppl r converting.coz of their propaganda ppl want to read it and than they convert ..and islam is not truly followed in pak and is used 4 their own benefits............so dont consider it in his context

Anoop | 13 years ago | Reply @abdullah, Name one mineral which the US hasn't already got access to in large quantity. You just want to believe that US hates Islam so you make up a story to justify that. And, no, you haven't offended me.

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abdullah | 13 years ago | Reply @anoop this is not a new conspiracy but u dnt know it is a different story this survey was done by nasa and they have not completly pulled out of iraq they still have soldiers in iraq ...u should check it out...and i bet u they will never pull out completly ,bin ladin is just an excuse of entering every country they want to.wait nd see they want pull out ...all these tenders of minerals will b given 2 americans i dnt think so that u r so dumm anoop that u understand it ..that is something else that u dnt want to accept the reality.. and r trying 2 deny everything .thats up 2 u ...this is not meant 2 offend u

Anoop | 13 years ago | Reply @abdullah, "minerals worth more than 1 trillion dollars.." --> Now, this conspiracy theory is a new one. 2011 July is the start of the pull out and 2014 they will be done. You guys used to say that US will not pull out of Iraq of its resources, which by the way are more precious and in larger quantity than any found in Afghanistan, but US did pull out of Iraq. Same is going to happen with Afghanistan. When that happens Pakistan is going to lose the only leverage it has- NATO supply routes. US will stop Aid under some pretext and will make that aid conditional to the fight against the Taliban. With Pakistani economy in the doldrums, I dont see how Pakistan can manage without US aid. Not only US, even EU and all NATO countries will stop aid. Pakistan, like North Korea, will need to ask China for aid. Considering China's hasn't given even half of the aid that US has given last year, with Pakistani economy in the hole, China will not be able to fill US shoes when it comes to aid.

abdullah | 13 years ago | Reply @anoop dont wory anoop the americans will not leave so soon they have not cme 4 bin ladin but have cme 4 the minerals which r present in the lawless tribal areas and afghanistan has got minerals worth more than 1 trillion dollars....find out about wars which took place in the last century they all were fought 4 economic purposes ..like israel attacked lebanon and has prob with syria bcoz in that region lebanon syria greece and israel have rich mineral resources and israel wants to take contrl of it ....they r not indians or pakistanis to fight 4 no valid reason ,things which can b solved easily as well...... they were the only financers 4 creation of talibans and gave 2 billion dollars to provide them arms during the soviet war..so this is big drama they want go.............. but m not supporting that we want aid this is infact making us more weaker

J.Oberoi | 13 years ago | Reply The US is throwing good money after bad. No matter how much money they give, they'll always be looked at as a villain. Pakistan loves its terrorists and anyone who takes them out will be the bad guy. They should follow the Saudi and Chinese doctrine - talk loud but throw scraps.

XX | 13 years ago | Reply Obviously it seems that these Joe Biden-types don't understand the problem at all, which puts into question the length of their attention spans to any one subject. Anne Patterson herself said in one of the leaked cables, that it is her opinion that no amount of aid can convince Pakistan to stop supporting militant groups. Can't they just visualize for a moment, that IF Pakistan was to stop supporting Afghan militants, then what check would they have against Indian support of Baloch rebels? None of this aid can ever compensate the strategic value of Balochistan to Pakistan, and if Pakistan really finishes off the Afghan militant groups as America is asking, then Balochistan's integrity will be greatly sacrificed. Maybe the Americans are thinking, that perhaps Pakistan can get rid of the militants that attack US interests, but still keep the ones that attack Indian interests. But no Afghan jihadi group can remain alive simply to fight the Indians; that is ludicrous of course. So perhaps America thinks that Pakistan may use the LeT to continue the check on India in Afghanistan, while eliminate the anti-US groups? Well, though difficult that may be possible to do.. but then why is America constantly asking Pakistan to shut down the LeT? With the Taliban damages US interests in Afghanistan, but how does the LeT affect them? As for the Mumbai attacks, even the RAW once stated that they believed David Headley to be a CIA agent, and that it was well-known that by profession Headley was a DEA agent, in which capacity he came to Pakistan.. but then how did he find the time to be touring India as well when on duty in Pakistan? And it is well known that DEA and CIA agents in AfPak often criss-cross, and it is also well documented in Indian government records how Headley used to tour India with Israeli citizens.. What was a disgruntled Muslim terrorist doing with Israeli citizens in India? Why didn't the US give India any access to Headley and insist that he must remain on American soil? That's how concerned they are of their terrorists? (Just Google all this if you don't believe me) .. The US isn't fooling with Mumbai, but the question is, after orchestrating it, why are they asking Pakistan to shut down LeT? How does it even affect them? Are they out of their minds in expecting that Pakistan would actually do it.. without LeT et al, what leverage would Pakistan have over India if they even decide to divert all the water that flow into Pakistan from the Siachen Glacier in Kashmir (which is the entire Indus River)? Will this 'aid' be so valuable to the state of Pakistan, that they would endanger their entire water supply in exchange? Either a) the entire US government is naive beyond doubt, b) only elements of it are naive, but they lack good coordination withe the more informed elements, or c) they are simply just trying to bribe the current Pakistani administration and officials into exchanging the future integrity of Pakistan with tens of millions of dollars for their own bank accounts.

Anoop | 13 years ago | Reply For everyone who are requesting US to stop giving aid, wait till 2014 when the NATO troops move out. Not only Aid will be stopped, Pakistan might be in the line for economic sanctions also for supporting Terrorists!

IZ | 13 years ago | Reply I have a suggestion for the USA. Create a fund for Pakistan for the next 10 years, instead of giving any aid to Pakistan just put the money in there. Make sure not a cent goes to Pakistan for 10 years. The Pakistani economy will collapse. The state will collapse. Society will collapse. There will be mass starvation. Bloodthirsty mobs will roam the streets looking for people to blame. First the upper class will be massacred. Then the middle class will be massacred. Then the mullahs. The army, the police, the state will all disappear (the Americans may have to secure the nukes at some point). In 8 to 9 years 25 to 30% of the population would have wiped itself out and then the violence will start to die down a little. Thats when the USA should come in and set up a new state and start using the money its saved over the previous decade. The end result would be a peaceful and prosperous Pakistan. The only way to get there is to reset the state of Pakistan. But of course it wont happen. The USA will continue to pay out money to keep the supply route to Afghanistan open and the weapons companies in the USA want the profit that comes from selling weapons to the Pakistani army.

sandy | 13 years ago | Reply Islamabad is going to be Kabul of 2000 when Taliban were a peak in Afg if they do not go to N.W.Forget about Indians they have lot of problems at home They can not afford any war at this crucial point of economic up downs world wide

Someone | 13 years ago | Reply What beggars

Ali | 13 years ago | Reply Where exactly is the money going? If it's going to education, health, helping to feed the poor that suffered in Punjab, Sindh as a result of the floods then we should graciously accept the money. These people are in dire conditions, any help they can get is much appreciated. The rich of Pakistan do not care about their plight. It would be incorrect to subject these people to any more suffering just in the name "pride". I fear however that it's just going to line the pockets of the corrupt elite.

TLW | 13 years ago | Reply Pleae can you stop giving us military aid; it only fattens our anti-democracy military, and instead can you please give us educational aid, preferaably earmarked for teacher training colleges? We need more and better schools than anything else.

abdullah | 13 years ago | Reply we dont need your aid ..please stop giving aaid 2 pakistan this is not helping the ppl but only filling the govt pocket this is so shamefull us knows it and still giving it ..4god sake stop giving aid this will atleast put more pressure on the govt to finish coruption

Anees Razzak | 13 years ago | Reply America should stick their nose out. If pakistani leaders had any dignity, this aid would be refused. its a shame that pakistan has actually sold itself - there is not an inch sovereignty left in the nation. Imran Khan must be elected to sort these issues out.

Amer | 13 years ago | Reply Please, please, please don't give Pakistan this "Aid". The common Pakistani couldn't care less about the Aid the US gives since all it does is line the pockets of a few elite and the US can dictate it's policies. Mr. Munter has made it clear today that the US has every right to interfere in Pakistans affair and this is the worst that it can get. The say one thing in public but everyone knows that they mean something else in private meetings.

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