Humanitarian, Security Concerns Mount as Up to Five Million at Risk From Floods in Upcoming Monsoon Season
23 June 2011
Up to five million people in Pakistan are at risk from floods this year, partly due to poor reconstruction and the inadequate rehabilitation of survivors who are still reeling from last year’s epic deluge, the UN said on Wednesday. Monsoon floods began roaring through Pakistan in late July last year, leaving one-fifth of the country — an area the size of Italy — underwater, disrupting the lives of more than 18 million people. The...
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US Foreign Aid to Pakistan: Report
13 June 2011
The 112th Congress is focused on cost cutting measures to reduce the budget deficit. How it deals with the second ranking U.S. aid recipient, Pakistan—which is important to U.S. national security interests but that some say lacks accountability—will be key. Pakistan has been among the leading recipients of U.S. foreign assistance both historically and in FY2010, and most experts list the country among the most strategically important...
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US to Significantly Cut Aid to, Military Presence in Pakistan
03 June 2011
The top US military officer has acknowledged "very significant" cuts to US military numbers in Pakistan, saying US-Pakistan ties need time to heal. Adm Mike Mullen, head of the Joint Chiefs of Staff, said some of the US troops, mostly trainers, would remain. Pakistan asked the US to reduce its troop presence after US special forces killed Osama Bin Laden last month. The raid sparked deep anger in Pakistan, further damaging already strained ties with...
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Report Calls for Revamp of US Approach to Development in Pakistan
02 June 2011
In a new CGD report, U.S. and Pakistani development experts urge a substantial revamp of the U.S. approach to Pakistan, saying that U.S. efforts to build prosperity in the nuclear-armed nation with a fledgling democratic government, burgeoning youth population, and shadowy intelligence services are not yet on course. Much of the report focuses on how to improve the U.S. aid program in Pakistan, but a revamped U.S. strategy would start with a greater...
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Authorities Warn Aid Agencies to Prepare for Mass Displacement as Military Plans N. Waziristan Offensive
30 May 2011
Humanitarian agencies active in Pakistan's northwest have been quietly told to prepare for up to 365,000 displaced people in advance of a military offensive against North Waziristan, a senior official with an international humanitarian agency said Monday. The official, who requested anonymity because of the sensitivity of the subject, was responding to a media report in a local newspaper that Pakistan will launch a military offensive against al Qaeda...
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New Study Finds No Link Between Poverty, Support for Militant Groups
20 May 2011
Spending millions of pounds on development in Pakistan will do nothing to keep young men out of the clutches of the Taliban, according to an extensive survey of Pakistani attitudes towards extremism which will deepen the row over Britain's aid budget. The study, conducted by researchers from prestigious American universities, found no link between poverty and support for militant groups. The findings undermine a central pillar of the Conservative...
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Locals in Tribal Areas Have "Little Faith" in Development Projects
16 May 2011
It's an axiom in the "war on terror" that to free areas from the grip of militants, you have to develop them economically. In Pakistan, that translates into both the United States and Pakistan allocating millions of dollars for projects in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). The projects range from dams to roads to women's vocational centers, and the goal is to lift the economy of an area where 60 percent of the population lives below...
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US and Pakistan Try to Ease Tensions as Congress Set to Review Aid Package
04 May 2011
U.S. and Pakistani governments sent conflicting signals about their increasingly rocky ties Tuesday, as each sought to minimize mounting domestic backlashes two days after Navy commandos killed Osama bin Laden on Pakistani soil. The White House on Tuesday affirmed its partnership with Pakistan, moving to contain tensions it fears will jeopardize billions of dollars of American aid to Islamabad and a relationship with a Pakistani government still...
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USAid Funds Pakistani Version of Sesame Street
08 April 2011
"In a $20m (£12m) remake of the classic American children's programme, the setting for the show has moved from the streets of New York to a lively village in Pakistan with a roadside tea and snacks stall, known as a dhaba, some fancy houses with overhanging balconies along with simple dwellings, and residents hanging out on their verandas. The Pakistani version, in which characters will speak mostly in Urdu, will feature Rani, a cute six-year-old...
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Cardinal Attacks UK Govt's Plans to Increase Pakistan Aid
15 March 2011
"A Roman Catholic cardinal has accused the UK government of operating an 'anti-Christian foreign policy'. Cardinal Keith O'Brien has attacked plans to increase aid to Pakistan to more than £445m, without any commitment to religious freedom for Christians. Speaking in Glasgow, Cardinal O'Brien called on Foreign Secretary William Hague to seek human rights guarantees. The Foreign Office said it raised concerns and lobbied governments about persecution...
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