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Pakistan’s Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi has called for more international aid to combat extremists, claiming that the Taliban could move into India and the Gulf if the financial support to stem their movement is not made available. He has asked for 2.5 billion dollars for emergency relief and reconstruction aid for the north-west of Pakistan, where military operations against the militants are ongoing. Mr Qureshi’s request for aid comes two days before the first summit of European Union and Pakistan leaders in Brussels, at which aid for Islamabad will likely top the agenda.
Do you think increased foreign aid to Pakistan can help prevent the spread of militants across the region? If Pakistan does receive the requested aid from the European Union, how should the government utilise the funds? In terms of reconstruction, what developments are urgently required?
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u reap whatever u sow. pakistan is reaping that. i think the best way is to get out of this miss.it only possible if pakistan becomes economically strong. it should utilize its resourses to maximum. should not compete with India at least in defence equipment. it does not make any difference to India but in case of Pakistan there is nothing left for other projects
Aid, local or global, has it’s limitations. It can provide or suppliment daily needs or medical help. It cannot repair the mindset of the Pakistani ruling elite to change their mind set
Once the leadership is cured of their ills, then the people of Pakistan will come to peace with their selves. The first step in right direction is to focus on the economy, not new maps or strategic depth.
Pakistani`s are visibly and rightly annoyed as the people leading the country keep on begging for aid day in and day out, I feel. The more they get the more they want. Not a day goes by without the newspapers reporting that a country has given aid to Pakistan – why do they need all this aid and if they do need it, where is it going? Does anybody keep a record of this?
Why is it that more than 60 years after its birth Pakistan is still unable to stand on its two feet and keeps on begging for continuous aid for its survival. One answer to the shortage of money in Pakistan is corruption.
Recently Pakistan received more then a Billion $ from the international community for the IDP`s, these poor people have been handed over a mere RS 25000.00 per family for resettlement which is peanuts. It is important that in future aid should be disbursed through NGO`s. It is about time that Pakistan stands on its two feet and stop begging for aid and stop corruption within the country if it wants to survive
Coming to the fight against terror, I think that India is perhaps the only country that has not given any helping hand to Pakistan in this regard.
Freedom of press is the basic tenet. if people of the country are afraid even to express themselves,least their email is tracked and like,nobody on earth can can save the nation. have the guts to digest the truth.
I liked Ajaz’s comedy(comments). Brings cynical laughter in times of recession.
Anyway, the best thing for the world is to give controlled aid to Pakistan to be infused in to Education and Infrastructure and not one cent to it’s military. The monies are to be strictly audited by world bank. The war against terrorists should be fought by the west without any reservations from the Paksitani’s. This way, the focus of Pakistan would be to develop it self educationally and economically unfettered by the war that is “out sourced” to the west.
The cribbing about soverignity if west fights inside Pakistan is all nonsense because if the terrorists win, there anyway will be no soverignity.
60 years is what Japan and South Korea had after world war II. See where and what they are now. Same 60 years to Pakistan since it’s birth. Economy or Terror ? Choose your way. Aid is a crutch. Learn to stand on one own legs.
I find this quite insulting to Pakistani nation, that our government is begging to the international community for financial help.
International communities, NATO and USA have been struggling without much success since 2001 to contain Talibanis and Al-Quaida in Afghanistan.
Karzai’s Government is nothing more than a junta under the disguise of democracy to keep him alive in his palace in Kabul, he is unable to step out of his palace without the help of foreign mercernaries.
I feel he has no respect or the powers to perform any executive functions in the country.
USA and NATO need Pakistan again to win this war, without Pakistan’s help they will be pouring hundreds of billions of dollars, until they will realize they can not win this war and leave this regions like British and Russians did, defeated and in disgrace, beaten by rag tag army of few warlords and criminals. That will be the end of this Empire, USA’s credibility and status as a supper power is at stake, failure in this war will bring this supper power to its demise.
Can USA and NATO afford to have this kind of end result, certainly not. Therefore, if Pakistan has such an immense role to play to save USA and the Western world we know off, in this decisive conflict of international level and historic event.
It certainly gives Pakistan a right to demand for the appropriate compensation, not AID or interest based loans from IMF, World Bank, USA, EU or the rest of the nations who are effected by this threat.
Pakistan should not have to request for help, Pakistan has the right and should demand for advanced weapons, planes and surveillance technologies needed to win this war and beyond, to maintain the rule of law, Pakistan should demand for ample financial compensation to rebuild our cities and our economy destroyed in this conflict. Pakistan should be helped by international communities to build and strengthen our economy and have access to international markets, so we can create jobs, provide education and give hope to our future generation in order to avoid conditions like in the past which helped terrorist organizations to grow and flourish to terrorize the international communities.
Fifty to hundred billions of dollars assistance to Pakistan would be small amount of money to pay for USA, EU and other countries to prevent fall of USA and subsequently Western economies. If they fail to recognize the need to help Pakistan at this time, this saga will continue and spread even further.
USA, EU and other influential countries should send strong signal to India to stop threatening Pakistan.
Western nations need Pakistan once again but this time stakes are much higher. USA has spent close to one trillion dollars in Iraq and Afghan wars without much success. World is still in danger from this menace of extremism and religious fanaticism. USA and Western nation should learn from their past mistakes and avoid making similar mistakes otherwise they will be paying much higher price in the future.
Pakistani government should take part in this war because Talibans have crossed the line of decency, they are terrorizing our nation by attacking our schools, mosques and commerce. They have attacked our cities, our civil forces and armed forces. They have tortured according to their distorted religious beliefs to our sisters, mothers and daughters, therefore, we have the right to defend our selves and our nation against enemy of our nation and land.
We should not feel guilty if we are fighting with criminal elements of our society and siding with USA, Western nations. Pakistan has common enemy and we should again join the international community to fight our common enemy without exploiting each other.
I find this quite insulting to Pakistani nation, that our government is begging to the international community for financial help.
International NATO and USA have been struggling in vein since 2001 to contain Talibanis and Alquaida in Afghanistan.
Karzai’s Government is nothing more than an organization to keep him alive in his palace in Kabul, he is unable to step out of his palace without the help of foreign mercernaries.
He has no authority or the powers to perform any executive functions in the country. He is there to serve himself and his corrupt drug dealer brother. USA has installed him in this position to give them some kind of legitimacy in the eyes of world opinion to maintain their control in this war torn country.
USA and NATO need Pakistan again to win this war, without Pakistan’s help they will be pouring hundreds of billions of dollars, until they will realize they can not win this war and leave this regions like British and Russians did, defeat and in disgrace, beaten by rag tag army of few out law criminals. That will be the end of this Empire, their credibility and status as a supper power it will bring the demise of this supper power.
Can USA and NATO afford to have this kind of ending, certainly not. Therefore, if Pakistan has such an immense role to play to save the Western world we know off, in this international and historic event.
It certainly gives Pakistan a right to demand the price compensation not AID or the so called loans from the USA and the rest of the nations in the NATO.
Pakistan should not have to request for help, Pakistan should demand for the war weapons and technologies needed to win this war and beyond, to maintain the rule of law, Pakistan should demand for ample financial compensation to rebuild our cities destroyed in this conflict, to build our economy and have access to international markets, so we can create jobs, provide education and give hope to our future generation in order to avoid conditions like in the past which helped terrorist organizations to grow and terrorize the international communities.
Fifty to hundred billions of dollars would be small amount of money to pay for USA to to prevent its demise similar to USSR. If they fail to recognize the need to help Pakistan at this time, this saga will continue and spread even further. USA and countries in NATO block should send strong signal to India to stop threatening, conspiring and helping terrorist in Afghanistan against Pakistan and its interest in the region. Western nations need Pakistan once again but this time stake are much higher.
USA has spent close to one trillion dollars in Iraq and Afghan wars without much ocrrunces defend the world from this menace
as they did in eighties against the Russian. Pakistani government should take part in this war becuase Talibans have crossed the line of decency, for long time,
Feels like laughing on this comment…
“Since Pakistan is suffering financially in order to keep the world safe from terrorists, the world owes it payment, not loans. We need to explain that clearly to the global community”
The claim by Pakistan Foriegn Minister that
Taliban could move to India and Central Asia
is to create panic in the world. There are some terrorist in all countries, but the possibilities that they could get entrenched
in non muslim countries is not viable. In societies other then muslim, will not provide breeding grounds to them. They will not be safe on the grounds of religion in them. We have seen the iron fist approach to them in Russia,China and other non Islamic coutries. If muslims countries will bring forward religion principles in line with the time, extremism will cease breeding
in them
well put comments by Firoze Hirjikaka .
As an Indian, I find the mindset of some nationalistic Pakistanis, posted here, quite intriguing. They seem to imply that international aid to Pakistan is a birthright, not a favour. Indeed, the ingratitude is quite staggering.
Yes, it is true that financial handouts from countries like the United States has strings attached, but this is a universal practice. There is no free lunch. In this particular case, the current all out offensive against the Pakistani Taliban is a result of sustained American pressure. And now, President Zardari is touting it as a virtue; as a noble and self-sacrificing action by the Pakistan government – and insisting that the world owes Pakistan. The reality, of course, is that the same Pakistani government turned a blind eye to the Taliban for years, till it grew into the monster it has now become.
Interesting thread.
The std old argument was always – we deserve your money with no strings attached – because we are fighting “your” battle.
Pretty clear that the battle has become “your battle”.
Welcome to the club.
I have seen most people here are fond of saying that Pakistan is fighting the world’s war against terror. If indeed it is America’s war, America’s war in Pakistan, America is prepared to come there and fight. It is Pakistan’s government that says they will fight on their own. So why do they want America to pay for it?
Pakistan should not accept any loan any more, whether from IMF or any other source. Certainly, none that is usury. Since Pakistan is suffering financially in order to keep the world safe from terrorists, the world owes it payment, not loans. We need to explain that clearly to the global community.
Foreign countries attach strings to any AID that will benefit their own country. When strings are attached 70 to 85% of the AID returns to the AID granting countries for services by their own citizens, equipment, machinery etc. as attached in terms and conditions of the AID. AID is a temporary relief but it is a loan and most of the share goes back out of the recipient country but the recipient country must pay back full plus interest and may be some favors. I request some one who has experience in AID administration explain to our people about the reality of AID.
I think that the AID may help a little bit but not in long term.
Satish says: June 18th, 2009 at 4:14 pm: “better infratructure”! Not that i am in favor of buying more arms but better infrastructure like in US, EU, etc would simply land us in more environmental disaster and end up patting & helping the taliban.
Jalal Hussain says: June 17th, 2009 at 11:53 am: “The only way to control militancy is through good governance and education.”
If the education is going to be anthropomorphic then we cannot afford to forget that sunni muslim education both covertly and overtly supported by capitalism (‘good governance’) & being provided in the Mosques is far superior, successful, efficient & profitable to any that the “modern” world or “civilization” can provide.
First of all, Pakistan should avoid to get indulged in any further debt or foreign aid any deeper than she has already been ‘in’ so far, but as Pakistan had been made a front-line State/Ally to fight off Terrorism in 2001, this changes the stand altogether.
The chief executive at the time went ahead willingly but unaware of the aftermath. His action ‘right or wrong’ was severe enough to bring a reaction and turn the fighters to turn their guns towards Pakistan as well.
Pakistani Army was not trained enough to fight a guerrilla war (at that magnitude) being fought in the FATA and area. And, since these criminal elements are foreign funded and who are also being regularly supplied all kind of apparatus and modern weaponry, therefore, Pakistan also needs foreign funding from Pakistan-friendly countries. Because, a secured Pakistan would be able to look after the national and regional/ international interests more easily.
Now, the extremists are really out of control, and the military rulers of that time are to blame for not playing the cards skillfully.
AS a result, the present leaders ended up with nothing but the most dangerous situation therefore $2.5 billion is not enough foe such a big assignment.
Pakistan’s government have to be capable to deal with global structurl changes, to create real effective political program for country ecomomic and democratic development focussing leaving standard of its own population. On this road the government must not consider any part of its own population as unfriendly component. The Government have to create political space for the Taliban Movement, that could create partnership with them, that could help to generate an new type of positive political confrontation which could move the country from disorder to new type of political order. If you can appreciate your enemy you could defeat them.
I agree with Mr Qureshi to some extent as I think aid should not be conditional then only it will serve our purpose. Conditional foreign aid would not be beneficial.
stop buying arms, same money can be used for your better infrastructure.
So once again today the President says he wants trade not aid and MOUs not IOUs. How does this square with what the foreign minister said just 2 days back?
I am totally agree with Mr. Abbas Jafari. The only thing I would like to add it is that there are some sane economists in Pakistan but unfortunately no one listen to them.For last 60 years Pakistan is a foreign dependent state, always in critical economic situation. In fact the sate and the nation become a international beggar for help. Always looking for hand out.
Aid, it is a funny little bundle of financial good from philanthropists across the world to Pakistan. Unfortunately supplying the aid will fail in attempting to stimulate growth in the devastated region and to wipe out the Talibs.
As an economist I believe that aid will only have short term effects because of the system of Pakistan. Let me elaborate: A country with a weak, corrupt political system will only use the aid to create 1) diversion. Diversion is the opposite of production. 2) Thanks to the social infrastructure in our country. 3) Unless and until the aid is used for social development in infrastructure (not only bridges and roads but also institutions) and education, it will be no use for the world to provide the ruling party with bundles of Euro’s, Dollars or Dinars.
The government must invest in the populace of the northern hemisphere of Pakistan. The investment must be in physical capital and much emphasis on HUMAN CAPITAL. INCREASING education will aid in achieving long term objectives. What does aid do?
Think of aid as money being dropped from helicopters in areas like Mingora. It will only create a short boom and stimulate the economy only temporarily. It will have detrimental effects on the already torn manufacturing sector of Pakistan. It will act like the DUTCH DISEASE. IF THERE ARE ANY SANE FINANCIAL ADVISORS IN OUR COUNTRY THEN PLEASE READ THIS MESSAGE!