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WASHINGTON: The US Senate approved a bill to triple civilian US aid to Pakistan, a bid to cement a long-term partnership and help defeat Islamists who threaten the nuclear-armed ally's stability.
Lawmakers unanimously approved the measure, which ties US military aid to progress against extremists, provides 7.5 billion dollars in humanitarian and economic aid over five years, and advocates that level over another five years.
"This legislation marks an important step toward sustained economic and political cooperation with Pakistan," said Senator Richard Lugar, the top Republican on the Senate Foreign Relations Committee.
The House of Representatives passed its version of the legislation in mid-June, and the two chambers must now work out and approve a compromise bill before President Barack Obama can sign the measure into law.
"Pakistan is facing a critical moment," said Democratic Senator John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, who crafted the bill with Lugar.
"Today the Senate has made a clear bipartisan commitment to replace an atmosphere of mutual distrust and lack of accountability with a broad-based, durable commitment to Pakistan and its people," said Kerry.
Supporters of the measure say they hope it will convince Pakistanis who are deeply skeptical of US support and goals that Washington stands with them against Islamists over the long haul and has their best interests at heart.
The measure de-links civilian aid aimed at boosting education, democratic governance, and sustainable economic growth from military assistance that would now be approved on a year-to-year basis.
And it ties military aid to certification that Pakistan security forces are doing their utmost against Al-Qaeda, other terrorist groups, and the Taliban from using Pakistan's territory as a base while "not materially interfering" in the country's political or judicial processes.
It also calls for "benchmarks for measuring the effectiveness of US assistance" at a time when many in the US Congress are openly skeptical of the effectiveness and desirability of boosting US aid to Islamabad.
It would also require Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, in cooperation with Defense Secretary Robert Gates and Director of National Intelligence Dennis Blair, to craft annual reports on Pakistani security forces.
Clinton would also be directed to work up a comprehensive strategy with Gates and Blair for coping with violence along Pakistan and Afghanistan's shared border.
The Obama administration has chafed at setting conditions on aid to Islamabad.
Obama has made rooting out extremism from Afghanistan and Pakistan a major priority. US officials in the past have accused rogue elements in the Pakistani military and intelligence service of secretly abetting extremists.
- AFP/yt
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