WASHINGTON, May 4: The US Congress made a friendly gesture to President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday, introducing a bill to triple American aid to Pakistan on the day he arrives in the US capital on a four-day visit.
Two influential senators – Democrat John Kerry and Republican Richard Lugar – introduced the Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement or the PEACE Act of 2009, in the Senate on Monday afternoon after a long delay.
“In introducing this bill, Senators Kerry and Lugar aim to help transform the relationship between the US and Pakistan: instead of a transactional, tactically-driven set of short-term exercises in crisis-management, Kerry and Lugar aim to build a deeper, broader, long-term strategic engagement with the people (and not just the leaders) of this vitally important nation,” said a statement issued by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.
The bill, first introduced in the 110th Congress, proposes to give Pakistan $7.5 billion over five years -- $1.5 billion a year -- and an additional $7.5 billion over the following five years.
“The Kerry-Lugar approach towards Pakistan emphasises a long-term relationship built on mutual trust and cooperation: only then will the people of Pakistan see the United States as an ally with shared interests and goals, such as defeating militant extremists that threaten the national security of both countries,” the committee said.
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