New York, September 26: US President Barack Obama urged “sustained and expanded” support for Pakistan at an international summit on Thursday aimed at helping Washington’s nuclear-armed ally defeat extremism.
Obama, seated next to President Asif Ali Zardari, told the meeting of the 26-member Friends of Democratic Pakistan that a US Senate vote for billions of dollars in aid for Islamabad was proof of US support.
All member nations, he said, shared an interest in the South Asian country’s future.
“We also face a common threat. The violent extremists within Pakistan pose a threat to the region, to the United States, and to the world. Above all, they threaten the security of the Pakistani people,” Obama told the summit, which he chaired with Zardari and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.
Pakistan’s lawless semi-autonomous areas in the northwest have been beset by violence after Taleban and Al Qaeda rebels sought refuge there following the US-led invasion of Afghanistan in late 2001.
“We believe that hope can triumph over fear, and that adversity can be replaced by opportunity,” Obama insisted at the meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.
“Success will require a sustained and expanded commitment from the international community,” he said at a New York hotel, according to prepared remarks released by the White House.
As proof of Washington’s commitment to its key regional ally, the Senate voted on Thursday to triple non-military aid to Pakistan to roughly $1.5 billion per year through 2014.
The Senate’s unanimous approval set the stage for action in the House of Representatives, where the measure could be introduced as early as Friday with a vote expected soon thereafter that would send it to Obama to sign into law.
“We are here to meet our mutual responsibility for our future,” the US president said.
“We know that there are difficult challenges ahead. But that is why we must remain focused, we must be committed and we must stay together. As Pakistan makes progress, the United States will be there as a partner.”
Zardari spoke of his country’s progress — both political and economic, in his address to the summit.
“A year ago, Pakistan was seen as weak and at risk. Today, we are in a much improved situation. In our economic strength will rest our political stability,” he said.
“A stable, prosperous Pakistan is the world’s greatest hope against extremism.”
Among the gains he mentioned is the Pakistani army’s fight this year against militants in the Swat Valley.
“Our engagement and partnership must continue as the job is not yet done,” Zardari said.
Richard Holbrooke, the president’s special envoy to both Afghanistan and Pakistan, hailed the vote as “a very important step forward” for sometimes tense relations between the United States and Pakistan.
The measure, which seeks to use economic development to battle the despair that can fuel militancy, comes at a time when Obama has vowed to overhaul US strategy for Afghanistan and neighboring Pakistan.
The new aid would seek to foster economic growth and democratic reforms in Pakistan, notably by helping democratic institutions and the country’s educational system flourish.
The measure also authorises unspecified military aid in sums necessary to help Pakistan battle Al Qaeda and other militants, but requires that such assistance flow through Pakistan’s democratically-elected government.
It also demands that the government in Islamabad demonstrate a sustained effort to combat militant groups and show progress towards defeating them.
Supporters of the legislation said it would help convince doubting Pakistanis that the United States will stand by them in what is likely to be a long struggle against militants.
Democratic Senator John Kerry, the chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee and a lead author of the bill, said it would help “forge a new long-term relationship between the people of America and Pakistan.”
The Friends of Democratic Pakistan group — whose members include the United States, Britain, France, China, the United Nations, the European Union and the World Bank — aims to support economic and social development as a means of stabilising the nuclear-armed country.
The “Friends of Democratic Pakistan” group stressed their desire to help the country grapple with electricity shortages that cause daily blackouts in many parts of the country and promised to help Pakistan develop a sustainable energy plan.
In a statement after the meeting, the countries also urged donor nations to come through on the $5 billion in aid pledged to Pakistan over two years at a donors conference in April after Zardari vowed to step up the fight against militants and deliver on economic reforms.
Zardari, who was seated between Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, thanked the leaders, who included the prime ministers of Australia, Canada and Turkey as well as the presidents of France and South Korea.
“Your doctrine recognizes that our struggle against terrorism must be fought not just on the battlefield but in education, in health, in jobs, in trade and above all for the hearts and minds of our people,” Zardari said.
At the “Friends” meeting, the World Bank and Pakistan’s government announced a new donor trust fund to help restore infrastructure and services to areas where the government has recently fought militants.
US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton, who earlier this year accused the Pakistani government of “abdicating” to the militants, met Zardari on Thursday and the State Department said two discussed security issues in a one-on-one meeting.
–Agencies