AL JAZEERA– The US government has announced a major new aid package for Pakistan, with hundreds of millions of dollars to be spent on projects in Pakistan’s energy and water sectors. Hillary Clinton, the US secretary of state, announced the $500m package at the start of a day-long “strategic dialogue” in Islamabad between American and Pakistani officials.
Monday’s meeting is the second such dialogue
between the US and Pakistan. The money – part of a five-year, $7.5bn aid package approved by the US congress last year – will support a total of 26 projects. The first, held in Washington in March, ended with promises of better co-operation
between the two countries. Clinton said on Monday that the meetings
would help to end the “trust deficit” between the two countries. “We know that there is a perception held by too
many Pakistanis that America’s commitment to them begins and ends with
security,” Clinton said. “But security is just one piece of this vital
partnership.” Electricity is one of Pakistan’s top priorities. A large chunk of the
new US aid will be spent on new power supplies, including the Gomal Zam
dam in Pakistan’s Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province, and several
hydroelectric projects in Balochistan province. Read full article about New Aid for Pakistan. Photo by Flickr User Vibracobra23
© COPYRIGHT AL JAZEERA, 2010
