Biden's plan will ensure aid flows to people, not armaments

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Source: Pakistan Daily Times

By Khalid Hasan

WASHINGTON: Senator Joseph R Biden, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, has proposed a new aid plan for Pakistan to put the relationship between the two countries on a predictable and even keel.

The four-point plan laid out on Thursday is: (1) The US must triple non-security aid to $1.5 billion annually for at least a decade. This aid would be unconditioned. It would be the US’s pledge to the Pakistani people. Instead of funding military hardware, it would build schools, clinics, and roads. (2) The US must condition security aid on performance. US should base security aid on clear results. Washington is now spending well over $1 billion annually, and “it’s not clear we’re getting our money’s worth”. (3) The US must help Pakistan enjoy a “democracy dividend.” The first year of democratic rule should bring an additional $1 billion - above the $1.5 billion non-security aid baseline. Biden said he supports tying future non-security aid - above the guaranteed baseline - to Pakistan’s progress in developing democratic institutions and meeting good-governance norms. And (4) The US must engage the Pakistani people, not just their rulers, which will involve everything from improved public diplomacy and educational exchanges to high impact projects that actually change people’s lives.



Read more: http://www.dailytimes.com.pk/default.asp?page=2007%5C11%5C09%5Cstory_9-11-2007_pg7_16