A review of the report also discloses that the Obama administration has agreed to release $2 billion against CSF, which was earlier held up due to suspicion that Pakistan was fudging figures. The US has also agreed to pump in an extra $2 billion into Pakistan for strengthening the country’s law enforcement apparatus, the report says.
The first installment of $750 million under the CSF will now be released to Pakistan by the end of November. The money was stuck up because the US accused Pakistan of double billing and wanted to set up an audit system in the country to verify payments made on its behalf.
It has also been agreed between the two sides that President Obama would invite either President Zardari or Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani to visit Washington before he visits Islamabad on his first-ever visit in 2011. Details about the strategic dialogue were shared with the cabinet on October 27 in a meeting at Lahore with Prime Minister Gilani. Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi gave the briefing, officials said.
The cabinet then decided that the report should be tabled before parliament with the purpose of taking the elected representatives of the people into confidence, so as they should know what sort of dialogue was taking place between the two countries. When contacted, Foreign Office spokesman Abdul Basit said some “auditing issues” were involved in the release of the CSF funds. But, Basit added, this was being dealt with by the Pakistan Army directly with the Americans, so he “would not be able to make any comprehensive comment.”
In the strategic dialogue, discussions also took place on the establishment of an enterprise fund for promoting private sector investment in the energy sector. “The US expressed strong support for democracy in Pakistan and expected Pakistan to carry out reforms in the taxation and energy sectors to revive the country’s economy”, the cabinet was informed by the foreign minister.
The cabinet also decided that the foreign minister shall meet columnists, anchorpersons and senior media representatives to bring home to them the salient features of the dialogue with regards the policy of the democratic government of Pakistan and seek their support for the national cause.
It was further decided that the minister for finance, foreign affairs and economic affairs shall sit together to arrive at a clear direction to be given to the media for public consumption on the PDF meeting being held in mid November 2010.
It may be recalled that the CSF was established by the US in 2001 to support 27 nations, including Pakistan, for some of the costs they incur in the fight against extremist violence.
Since 2001, the US has reimbursed Pakistan $7.4 billion. In total since 2001, the United States has provided more than $11 billion to Pakistan in security assistance and CSF reimbursements.
During the last three years, specific security assistance provided includes 14 F-16 fighter aircraft, 10 Mi-17 and two Bell 412EP helicopters, 5 fast patrol boats, 115 Howitzer self-propelled field artillery cannons, more than 450 vehicles for the Frontier Corps, hundreds of night vision goggles, day/night telescopes, radios, and thousands of protective vests and first-aid items for Pakistan’s security forces.
The US has also provided training for more than 370 Pakistani military officers in a wide range of leadership and development programmes covering topics such as counterterrorism, intelligence, logistics, medical, flight safety, and military law.
Published in The Express Tribune, November 7th, 2010.
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