HILLARY Clinton has announced aid projects for Pakistan aimed at defusing anti-American sentiment and shoring up anti-terrorism efforts.
The US Secretary of State arrived in Islamabad en route to a donor conference in Kabul, calling for “additional measures” by Pakistan to combat militant groups on its soil believed to be behind attacks on the United States and Afghanistan.
Opening talks with Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, Ms Clinton said she hoped the aid projects, focused on water and energy needs in the country, would “lay the foundations for an enduring partnership” with Pakistan.
The projects will include two energy dams, various drinking water and irrigation projects, as well as the building of health centres and schemes to improve agriculture and private sector income.
They are part of a five-year, $8.6 billion funding approved by the US Congress last year and a key part of the effort by the US administration to engage more fully with Pakistan, which has long seen Washington as interested only in securing its military cooperation in the fight against terrorism.
“We know that there is a perception held by too many Pakistanis that America’s commitment to them begins and ends with security,” said Ms Clinton.
“We have not done a good enough job of connecting our partnership with concrete improvements in the lives of Pakistanis. With this dialogue, we are working to change that.”
Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi hailed the “transformational phase” in relations between the two countries during his remarks ahead of talks with Ms Clinton.
“We’re committed to work together to build a stable, broad-based and and enduring partnership. The world has a vital stake in the success of our efforts,” he said.
The United States has long voiced concern that elements of Pakistan’s powerful military and intelligence service were supporting Taliban insurgents, despite the government’s public anti-terror stance.
Ms Clinton said yesterday in an interview with the BBC: “There are still additional steps that we are asking and expecting the Pakistanis to take.
She noted that Washington and Islamabad had “increased our cooperation, deepened our relationship, when it comes to fighting terrorism”.
But there was no doubt that should an attack against the United States be traced to Pakistan, it would have a “very devastating impact on our relationship,” she added.
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