A significant, and welcome statement.
Era of sanctions against Pakistan is Over: US
The era of sanctions against Pakistan is over and Washington is now engaged with Islamabad in long-term strategic relationship. The Director of Foreign Assistance and USAID Administrator Randall L. Tobias and the Ambassador Ryan C. Crocker stated this here Saturday at the American Embassy during a briefing to the media persons. They thanked Pakistan for its role in the war against terrorism and said sacrifices being offered in this regard by the people and government of Pakistan are really commendable. Peace, development and democracy are the common goal of the free world and US monetary and technical assistance is actually aimed at giving impetus to the economic engine, they said. The American officials were asked to comment about the status of embargo imposed against Pakistan after its nuclear explosion in May 1998 and also after the military takeover of the government in October 1999. Ambassador Crocker made it clear that the entire American assistance to Pakistan now is in the form of grant. There is no loan component. He said for all practical purposes the liabilities of loans etc. against Pakistan had been written off. However formal announcement in this connection is yet to be made by Washington. The US Director of Foreign Assistance was accompanied at the briefing by Mark Ward, Deputy Assistance Administrator and the Mission Director, USAID Pakistan, Jonathan Addleton.
Referring to his meeting with President General Pervez Musharraf here on Friday, Randall Tobias said cooperation between the two countries in many areas was discussed. It includes economic, health and education. The scope of cooperation in the field of education was later sorted out in detail during their meeting with the Federal Minister for Education, Lt. Gen. (Retd) Javed Ashraf Qazi. Randall Tobias said, Pakistan is the leading country in the world availing American scholarships for higher education. **The media was told that as part of the long-term cooperation, both in the public and private sectors, the US plans to provide 3.5 billion dollars to Pakistan during the next 5 years. It includes $1.5 billion as economic assistance and as many in the form of security assistance. This is in addition to $ 510 million for earthquake reconstruction programme in the country. **It was also informed that US was keen to ensure democracy and good governance in Pakistan. The programme began in 2003 and it includes programming to strengthen governmental institutions, improve electoral process and advance country’s devolution process. Randall gave the assurance that US shall continue to help Pakistan in the post-earthquake programme in the NWFP and Azad Kashmir, the way it helped during the relief and rehabilitation phase. They said that US attaches top priority to expanding relations with Pakistan and that’s why it had been institutionalized. To a question about undertaking development works in the tribal areas adjoining Afghanistan, they said emphasis is being laid to health, education, clean drinking water and sanitation