US approved aid for Pakistan پاکستان کے لئے 1.9 بلین ڈالر امریکی امداد کا اعلان۔۔

Daily Dawn - By Anwar Iqbal - Saturday, 09 May, 2009

WASHINGTON: The House Committee on Appropriations has approved $1.9 billion for Pakistan for the next fiscal year, $591 million above the request.

This also includes $597 million to help address the economic crisis, about $100 million above the request. ¶  The fund to address the economic crisis will be used for agriculture and food security, strengthening national and provincial governance, expanding the rule of law, and improving access to and quality of education. ¶  The amount also includes assistance for more than a million people displaced in the fight against terror and now sheltered in makeshift camps across the country.¶  On Thursday evening, the committee also approved $400 million, as requested, for the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund, available from the next fiscal year, which begins on Sept. 30, 2009.

The fund will be used to build the counterinsurgency capabilities of the Pakistani security forces. ¶ The committee also approved $897 million, $91 million above the request, for a new secure US embassy and consulates in Pakistan. ¶ A separate amount of $46 million is for diplomatic operations including additional civilian staff and diplomatic security.

AFGHANISTAN :  The committee matched the administration’s request for $3.6 billion to expand and improve capabilities of the Afghan security forces.  ¶ It also gave $810 million, $240 million below the request, to support coalition partners who have provided assistance to US military operations in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

Afghanistan also gets $1.52 billion, $86 million above the request, including: $980 million to fund economic development and agriculture programs, strengthen national and provincial governance, and expand the rule of law. ¶  The committee approved $536 million, $86 million above the request, for diplomatic operations in Afghanistan including additional civilian staff and diplomatic security.

Iraq gets $968 million, $336 million above the request, including: $482 million to continue stabilisation programmes, and strengthen governance and rule of law; and $486 million, $336 million above the request, for diplomatic operations.

OVERSIGHT :  The committee gave $20 million, $13 million above the request, to expand oversight capacity of the State Department, USAID, and the Special Inspector General for Afghanistan to review programmes in Afghanistan, Pakistan and Iraq.

Earlier, the Obama administration earmarked $700 million in its budget for the next fiscal year for training and equipment to improve Pakistan’s counterinsurgency capability.

This is a major increase from the $400 million set aside for this purpose in the current fiscal year which expires on Sept. 30. ¶  This marks the first time since 2003 that the Afghan war funding surpassed the outlay for Iraq. The Pentagon is seeking $130 billion in war funds for 2010, including $65 billion for Afghanistan and $61 billion for Iraq. For 2009, the Pentagon had request $87 billion for Iraq and $47 billion for Afghanistan.

The move demonstrates a shift in US priorities as the Obama administration increases its focus on fighting the militants it holds responsible for planning and executing the Sept. 11, 2001 terrorist attacks. ¶  The proposed fund for Afghanistan covers the deployment of 21,000 additional US troops this year, raising the total to 68,000. More funds would be required if President Obama decides to meet the request of US commanders for 10,000 more troops next year. ¶  The Pentagon's $534 billion base budget is $21 billion, or 4 per cent, larger than last year's. It includes key initiatives that to reshape the US military to fight insurgencies across the world.

Major spending increases include $2 billion on intelligence and reconnaissance, $500 million to field and maintain helicopters, and funds to add 2,400 personnel to Special Operations Forces in 2010 as well as aircraft to support them. ¶  More will be spent on some modern weapons systems, with an increase in the purchase of littoral combat ships and the ‘fifth generation’ F-35 fighter jets. The 2010 Pentagon eliminates $8.8 billion in weapons programmes that were in the 2009 budget. It would halt the programme for the F-22 fighter jet after 187 are manufactured. Other major cuts include ending the $13 billion presidential helicopter programme, which has more than doubled in cost; the $19 billion transformational satellite programme; and the Air Force combat search-and-rescue helicopter programme, as well as cutting $1.2 billion from missile defence. 

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