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US Congress okays $1.4bn Pakistan aid

* Funding includes $707m to help address economic crisis, assist IDPs, boost governance and expand rule of law
* $700 million allocated to improve security forces’ capability

WASHINGTON: The US Congress on Friday approved $1.4 billion in economic and security assistance for Pakistan as the Senate passed a $106 billion war supplemental bill, giving the Obama administration an urgently needed $225 million in relief assistance for the displaced people of Swat.

The whopping funding bill, primarily meant for the Afghanistan and Iraq wars, had faced stiff resistance in the US House of Representatives, getting through with a narrow vote earlier this week.

The measure has been sent to President Barack Obama, who is likely to sign it without delay. The 2009 supplementary bill includes more than $90 billion to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan.

Funding: The funding for Pakistan allocates $707 million to help address the economic crisis including issues such as agriculture and food security, assist the displaced population, strengthen national and provincial governance, expand the rule of law, and improve access to and the quality of education.

Of the amount, a substantial $225 million would help address the internally displaced persons (IDPs) crisis, as the country prepares to rehabilitate around three million people displaced from Malakand.

Security forces: Another $700 million has been allocated to improve Pakistan’s security forces’ capability under the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund, to be available from September 30, 2009.

“Support in Congress for aid to Pakistan will strengthen the resolve of the Pakistanis and their government in confronting violent extremists and terrorists,” Pakistan’s Ambassador to the United States Husain Haqqani said, welcoming the development.

“The US-Pakistan partnership is crucial for stability in South Asia and US assistance helps bolster the confidence and sense of security of Pakistanis,” the ambassador. app

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