Using Foreign Aid to Fight Terror in Pakistan

[southasiawatch]

When a country asks for help in developing its economy and fighting terror, what should donor nations do?

Should they attach endless and intrusive requirements that not only make it difficult for the aid to have the intended impact, but also impinge on the sovereignity of the receiving nation?

This was the question discussed by Ambassador Hussain Haqqani at a recent gathering of American and South Asian intelligentsia.

The case was made persuasively that the donor country's desire for positive outcomes cannot be micromanaged from afar. Ambassador Haqqani cautioned against not only this level of mismanagement, but of wholesale indictments of a nations institutions can sour relationships not only between governments, but damage good will towards the US amongst the people of Pakistan.

Haqqani noted that far too little credit had been given and notice taken of the high toll that Pakistan has paid in the war against terrorism. “I think that Pakistanis these days are very concerned about what they think as an unbridled indictment of Pakistan’s security services, giving no credit to Pakistan for the efforts that have been made. We lost a lot of people along the border with Afghanistan. We have become a major victim of terrorism. More Pakistanis have died as a result of terrorist incidents in the last two years than in any other country.”

Cross posted at DailyKos

[cosmicone]

1. Pakistan is always against accountability.

A country founded on hatred and the ultimate nail in the coffin of muslims wanting to rule all of India, Pakistan has never given up the dream to conquer India, imposing 4 wars on it.

The West has spent billions upon billions of dollars on Pakistan, weaponized its military, lined the pockets of its generals and politicians, and here is Pakistan again with a begging bowl, yet not wanting any accountability whatsoever.

A nation that founded, funded, armed, financed and trained the Taliban via ISI should at least be apologetic about all the terror camps and menace to the world it has created.

Hell, no! Pakistanis in general (especially the jingoistic military types) are proud of the fact that their country has become terror central and they are still dreaming of the 11th century muslim conquests of territories while their children die of hunger, their women are oppressed to no end and their youth dies in some stupid conflict after another, all created for the ultimate dream of ruling India like the mughal empire did.

Pakistan needs to get over all those dreams and start developing peaceful relations, get over Kashmir, develop a civilian industry, reduce military spending and create a state that helps its people's lives rather than the endless bravado while carrying bags for the US and/or China.