Australia promises $24m aid for Pakistan

Foreign Minister Julie Bishop praises Pakistan’s counter terror efforts

ISLAMABAD:

Australian Foreign Minister Julie Bishop on Wednesday announced a $24 million aid package for Pakistan as Islamabad sought greater access for its products to the Australian market.

Bishop, who kicked off her two-day visit, made the pledge during a joint news conference with Prime Minister’s Special Adviser on Foreign Affairs Sartaj Aziz following their talks on efforts to counter militancy, the future of Afghanistan and the reported rise of the Islamic State group in the region.

The aid package includes $19.9 million for Pakistan’s efforts for facilitating regional trade and investment as well as rehabilitation of tens of thousands of tribesmen displaced by the military offensives in the tribal regions. Bishop did not say where the remaining money will be spent.

Aziz told reporters that both sides agreed to further strengthen their relations in diverse fields, including trade and economy. They also agreed to further enhance their friendly people-to-people contacts, underpinned by the presence of 80,000-strong Pakistani Diaspora and around 13,000 Pakistani students in Australia.



Aziz said he also discussed with Foreign Minister Bishop the possibility of regular political exchanges, including high level visits. “Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif is expected to visit Australia later this year,” he added.

The premier’s aide talked about the commonality of views between the two countries to counter the threat of terrorism. Moreover, officials said Aziz urged the top Australian diplomat to provide greater access to Pakistani products in her country’s market.

Bishop said the two countries “have common interests in countering transnational crimes, including drug- and human-smuggling”. Hundreds of ethnic Hazaras have in recent years fled Balochistan bound for Australia, which in 2013 introduced a military-led operation to turn back boats carrying asylum-seekers before they reach the continent.

Bishop said she would also encourage Australian tourism to Pakistan. “People-to-people links are important and of course we want to see Pakistan as a safe and secure environment so that you can engage international visitors,” she said.

The top Australian diplomat said Canberra could cooperate with Islamabad on better intelligence sharing to deal with the threat of terrorism. “Australia is hosting a summit to counter violent extremism in June this year in Sydney,” she added.

She praised Pakistan’s role in fighting terrorism and sacrifices rendered by the security forces for this purpose. Replying to a question, Bishop warned that the ultra-extremist Middle Eastern group, the Islamic State, posed a serious threat to world peace. “We believe there are around 100 foreign terrorists from Australia currently in Iraq and Syria supporting this... barbaric and terrorist organisation.”

Asked about her country’s views on the Kashmir dispute, she said Australia would encourage both Pakistan and India to resolve their disputes through bilateral talks. She made it clear that Canberra would not take sides and would rather urge both sides to find political solutions to their problems, including the longstanding Kashmir dispute.

In reply to another question, she said Australia was considering providing uranium to India for its civilian nuclear programme. However, she insisted that the facility would be extended under strict controls.


Published in The Express Tribune, May 7^th, 2015.