New Delhi, August 05: The Obama administration is planning to appoint Robin Raphel, an old India and South Asia hand, as a member of Richard Holbrooke’s AfPak team.
According to a leading Pakistani English daily The News, Washington has decided to post Raphel in Pakistan to co-ordinate the implementation of non- military assistance to the South Asian country.
If appointed, it may not be good news for New Delhi given Raphel’s well-known soft corner for Pakistan and her linkages with the ruling elite there.
According to the report, Raphel will report to Holbrooke in Washington and to the US ambassador in Islamabad. A formal announcement about her appointment is expected shortly.
The News claimed Raphel will initially arrive in Pakistan on August 14 for a couple of weeks for consultations after which she will go back to Washington.
She will return in mid- September and be stationed there for a year. A diplomat in the US Embassy here during 1991- 93, Raphel became the assistant secretary of state for South Asian Affairs under President Bill Clinton.
In her new position, Raphel is expected to “oversee the ramp-up of US civilian assistance in anticipation of the final passage of the Kerry- Lugar Bill 2009”. The passage of the Kerry- Lugar bill will mean tripling of the civilian US aid to Pakistan to about $ 1.5 billion each year for the next five years. The aim is to combat extremism with economic and social development.
The $ 1.5 billion in annual funding includes money for schools, judicial system, Parliament and law enforcement agencies in Pakistan.
Raphel’s likely appointment will not be music to New Delhi’s ears.
India has expressed reservations to the US about non- military aid to Islamabad, which it feels runs the risk of being diverted to fund anti-India activities.
Though India is unlikely to formally raise the issue with the US, there is likely to be uneasiness South Block. Foreign ministry sources claimed that during her stint in India, Raphel maintained links with various groups in Jammu and Kashmir. She is reported to have played a key role in preventing Pakistan from being declared a state sponsoring terrorism in the aftermath of the 1993 Mumbai blasts.
–Agencies