US to extend extra $200million aid to Pakistan

ISLAMABAD - The United States Wednesday announced to extend an extra $200 million in emergency aid to Pakistan for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs) and said it would not leave Pakistan in lurch.After meeting President Asif Zardari, US Special Envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan Richard Holbrooke told a joint news conference with the President and Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi that the United States was seeking an additional US $200 million to help the IDPs.He said the US government was set to provide an additional $200 million in urgent humanitarian assistance to aid IDPs in NWFP.Holbrooke said, “Today, the US President has asked me to inform you and your government that he has requested the Congress to allocate an additional 200 million dollars for Pakistan. Our delegation has come at very short notice at the personal instructions of President Obama,” the US envoy said.“He sent our team to Pakistan to do several things, first to show our concern to the people of Pakistan and to the world and secondly to show our concern for the internal refugees,” he added. He assured that US would provide additional assistance to the government of Pakistan in the hour of need.Referring to US assistance of $310 million, which he said was half of the world assistance, Holbrooke urged the international community to extend more help and cooperation to Pakistan in that regard. He said special efforts had been made to involve Pak-American community in relief efforts for IDPs and announced that 15 lady doctors were coming to Pakistan very soon to work in IDPs’ camps.Responding to a query about the use of American weapons by the terrorists in restive areas of Malakand, he said it was a common phenomenon that during insurgencies such weapons were used.About the military action in Swat and Malakand, he said Pakistan and US had same perception on the issue, and the action taken by Pakistan was necessary and essential.Replying to another question, he said people living in the camps were fed up with militancy and extremism and wanted to get rid of these elements.Ambassador Holbrooke said that reconstruction phase would be very important and critical and assured full American support in that phase. “I hope people of Pakistan will understand our country’s leading role in responding quickly in this hour of need. President Obama is personally involved in it as US really cares for Pakistan,” he added.President Asif Ali Zardari said that Pakistan was committed to defend its territory from militants. “We are committed to defend and wherever there is threat, we will follow it,” President said in response to a question about military action in Waziristan and other areas.
source:nation.com.pk/pakistan-news-newspaper-daily-english-online/Politics/04-Jun-2009/N-PPP-to-scrap-17th-Amend-US