Updated on
Summary The US has once again reiterated the importance of bilateral relationship with Pakistan.
The US State Department, in response to a question regarding assistance provided to Pakistan in the briefing a day ago, issued a statement Tuesday maintaining that the US remained committed to a strong, mutually respectful relationship with Pakistan. “We consider bilateral U.S. civilian assistance to be an important component of that relationship and believe it can help Pakistan become a more prosperous, stable, and democratic state, which serves the national interests of both the US and Pakistan”, the spokesperson stated.On the civilian assistance to Pakistan and whether it was affected because of closure of supply routes, the spokesperson pointed out that the “civilian assistance to Pakistan has been ongoing throughout the closure of the NATO supply lines and has continued after their opening”.“While figures for this fiscal year are not yet available, since the passage of the Kerry-Lugar-Berman legislation in October 2009, the U.S. government has disbursed $2.8 billion in civilian assistance, including approximately $1 billion in emergency humanitarian assistance”, the statement explained. “Our non-humanitarian civilian assistance funds are spent in five priority sectors: energy, economic growth, stabilization of vulnerable areas, education, and health”, the statement said while identifying the main development areas for US in Pakistan. “In 2011 the people of the United States supported the construction of 210 kilometers of road in FATA and Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa, funded the world’s largest Fulbright exchange program, and sponsored initiatives promoting private sector growth and civil society development in Pakistan”, it added.The spokesperson’s statement, however, refused to answer the status of Coalition Support Fund (CSF) that the US owed Pakistan and has remained pending for more than a year. “With regard to Coalition Support Funds, we refer you to the Department of Defense”, it stated.In a separate briefing, Pentagon spokesman, George Little expressed pleasure at the reopening of NATO supply routes from Pakistan. “We are pleased that ground supply routes from Pakistan have been re-opened”, he remarked.He, however, believed that the NATO and US forces were not at full capacity yet for shipments through these ground routes. He also expressed ignorance about the US administration pondering over the question of sustainability issues with GLOCs. “Well address it if something like that comes up”, he argued.Speaking generally on the relationship with Pakistan, the spokesman emphasized that the relationship with Pakistan remained critical for the US. “We are entering a new phase in our relations with Pakistan and getting past the obstacles”, he opined.He also refused to comment on legislation proposed by a US senator for cutting-off aid to Pakistan. “Can’t comment on prospective legislation”, he emphatically said while saying that he was unaware of any issues in continuing with the current aid flow to Pakistan.It may be stated here that Senator Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) is pushing for voting on a bill that could potentially cut-off all US assistance to Pakistan until the Pakistani government releases Dr. Shakeel Afridi.- Contributed by Awais Saleem, Dunya News correspondent in Washington, DC
