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US Senator John Kerry arrived in Pakistan on Monday to discuss a proposed bill envisaging US$1.5 billion of economic assistance per year to Pakistan over the next five years. During his visit, Senator Kerry, who is also the Chairman of the US Senate Foreign Relations Committee, will touch on regional and security issues in meetings with President Asif Ali Zardari, Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gillani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi, but the focus will be on future civilian and military aid.
If you could share a cup of tea with Senator Kerry during his stay in Islamabad, what would you ask him about the US’s plan for non-military assistance to Pakistan? How do you think non-military aid, which Pakistan is due to receive under the Kerry-Lugar bill, should be spent? What would you suggest Senator Kerry insist upon during meetings with the Pakistani leadership on how to distribute and allocate civilian aid?
As long as 75% of the American aid is spent on education, scientific research, health, employment, social welfare and defence of the county, it will be fine. As long as the political thugs, dakus’, lottereys, chors and fraudsters do not steal it from country’s coffers; it could benefit the country’s economy but the past experience and records of politicians’ points to the opposite.
Every penny spent by the government must be recorded and made public so that accountability and transparency would be adhered and maintained at all levels.
Keep the money as far away as possible from the government. the international agencies should dole it out directly.
The history of terrorism speaks volumes of the fact that not unless a society’s overall psyche turns its collective conscience against the terrorists, the state and the government can do little on their own. The terrorists will always manage to survive, even thrive, in a society riddled with conspiracy theories and denials.
Education and, equally important, family planning.
I agree that Education should have greater spending world over.
But that lack of education and poverty is cause of terrorism is a myth for gullible. If it were so, our ancestors should have been blood-hounds.
All the 9/11 terrorist were well-educated and well off.
If it were true, people of Bhutan should be biggest terrorists and Africa the continent of dead..
Health, education, communication.
On education and health ONLY… we need to formulate a poper secular education policy and curriculum that is up to world standards. We need new schools everywhere in every district in every province, we need more teacher training colleges, and we need to offer our kids a free square meal for coming to school like they used to in europe… we need to educate our adults to read and write… we need to educate women on health issues and we need to open up these free meal giving secular schools right next to every madrassah!
Since tha Jihadis seem to hijacking many issues like education, it would be ideal if one starts with a non-controversial topic – Healthcare…
The deterioration of healthcare as well as the spiraling cost of drugs has meant that the common man has lost faith in the Govt’s ability to give him anything, much less protect him ( Lahore et al).. A part of the non military aid should be invested across the board on grassroots healthcare movements. Establishing more medical colleges as well as standardising the level of medical education given should also be a top priority.
When the common man gets ready access to drugs and medical care, a modicum of the lost trust in the Govt may return.. Today when the Taliban has started waging an all-out war to take over the very hand that once fed it, it becomes all the more imperative for the Pakistani govt to win the hearts and minds of its people.
Kindly invest this money in education, specially for women. Health is second most important issue. Stop demonising the rest of the world and dont spend big chunks of aid to the over full bellies of agencies, Army and mullahs of madrassas. You need to spend wisely because an aid is aid, not income.
Firstly, the money should NOT be distributed through the government. It should be made available as credit line/loans for investors in Pakistan at low interest rates. Investors can only utilize this facility for projects in important areas like water resources/hydro, thermal or wind/solar power, transport infrastructure etc.
Secondly, a significant portion of this should be utuilized in setting up of higher education institutes. These institutes would provide technical education with faculty drawn from national and international levels.
Thirdly, money should be spent on improving basic health facilities. Modern speciliased hospitals are required to support a growing population.
Whatever the way to spend this money, the Government should be kept out of getting its hands on this. There are plenty of NGOs that do the job efficiently in education and medicine. Let them avail these funds. Ditto the private sector and this should not be cronies of those in government.
Kerry should be advised not to lend a penny to the government unless they eliminate all the corruption and the Taliban sympathisers from within the government and the Army.
Also it will be an irony to know that Taliban are being supported by Americans. So locate the black sheep within themselves and the world at large. Taliban were not good to produce their food. How come they recruit so many people and ammunition and all the vehicles that they have? Whoever is supporting them must be first located and then eliminated.
Educate, Educate, Educate… the best way to fight terrorism is educating the poor and creating and providing jobs. A person with education and no job will steal, kill to feed a family since desperate times calls for desperate measures.
Pakistan needs a little aid with massive drift in US policy. An intelligent blend of both will definately boost stability of the country.
Upon sharing a cup of tea with John Kerry i would pay my regards for showing some concerns towards Pakistan by offering non-military aid nevertheless, i would like to ask him that – why is US reluctant in giving Pakistan military aid since Pakistan is a front ally in a war on terror. Is it because Indian lobby has shown it’s influence in Washington or US actually has some logic reason behind not assisting Pakistan from latest military technology ?
If Pakistan spends civilian aid in a constructive way and creates job opportunities and sports amenities for the youths both in tribal and settled areas that would reduce militancy. These youngster will do some useful work for themselves and support their families too.I am sure projects like these would attract Jihadis to return to normal lives. In this way, their own area would develop and create more opportunities for visitors and locals.
We should spend that money in the only logical area there is; Education and only Education. It’s because of this illiteracy we are on the verge of total collapse as a nation. It’s because of this illiteracy we have religious misinterpretation (which others call extremism). All our problems boil down to one single factor which is little or no education; Illiteracy. By education i dont merely mean to open enough schools or colleges. We have to implement a new system overall, change mindsets by changing what we teach at schools.
All US aid must be used for improving economic infrastructure and education.
Technical institutions must be established and skilled craftsmen must be created to cadre the need and also help them to seek employment overseas. Gulf states would require once the financial recession is eased to maintain their oil and gas facilities. We must avail the opportunity. Technical know-how and academic progress will put Pakistan to development course and we can shun away with terrorism.