US Senate panel clears Pakistan aid boost

[Lockheed F-16]

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US Senate panel clears Pakistan aid boost



WASHINGTON: The Senate Foreign Relations Committee voted unanimously 16-0 in favor of the bill, which triples non-military aid to Pakistan to 7.5 billion dollars over five years. The bill now goes on to the full Senate.

The bill needs to be reconciled afterward with a version approved last week in the House of Representatives, which imposes more stringent conditions on Pakistan to verify it is helping defeat extremism.

The Senate bill -- named for its authors, Democrat John Kerry and Republican Richard Lugar -- puts a focus on economic development in the Islamic world's only declared nuclear power.

"A stable, secure, prosperous Pakistan is vital for Pakistan's 170 million citizens and it's vital to America's national security," said Kerry, the failed Democratic presidential candidate in 2004.

[Muhammad Yahya]

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7.5Bill USD will not be enough for 3 million IDPs' for 5 years

I think we need minimum 15Bill USD for rehabilitation of IDPs and infrastructure damaged due to war in next five years.