‘Friends of Pakistan will help country in a systematic way’: No cash for bailout: US

[Neo]

‘Friends of Pakistan will help country in a systematic way’: No cash for bailout: US​

* Boucher says terrorism can be addressed ‘partially’ by talks with those who give up arms
* US will raise $30m for energy sector​

By Sajjad Malik

ISLAMABAD: The United States supports Pakistan in dealing with its security and economic crises, but the newly created Friends of Pakistan forum will not offer direct financial support, US Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher said at a press conference on Monday.

“We support Pakistan taking tough action to deal with the security and economic situation and we also appreciate Pakistani people’s determination to deal with the problems,” Boucher told reporters.

“There is no money on the table. The goal is to put the money where it belongs. It is not a cash advance,” he said, adding the forum would help Pakistan in a systematic way to deal with economic issues.

Talks: He said he had met President Asif Zardari twice during his trip, and that Pakistani leaders understood that terrorists’ “only goal seems to be to blow up the Pakistan state and society”. Boucher expressed support for Pakistan’s multi-pronged strategy to tackle violence and said terrorism could be addressed ‘partially’ by dialogue with those who abandoned violence.

“There’s no practical negotiations going on,” he said, however. “All they’re interested in is having more space to rebuild their capabilities,” he said of the Taliban.

He denied there was lack of trust between the US and Pakistan and said the two countries were co-operating on a number of issues.

Boucher declined to answer questions on US airstrikes in Pakistani territory but said the America’s goal was to help Pakistan establish the writ of the government in the Tribal Areas.

“The only way we’re going to be able to solve this ... is dealing with this from both sides (of the border), so there are complementary actions,” he said.

He also said some of the reports of attacks and civilian casualties were wrong. “Every time something explodes there, the US is accused of doing it,” said Boucher.

He expressed sorrow over the killing of nearly 200 tribal elders and said that it was ‘heartening’ that tribesmen were rising against the Taliban.

Boucher said the people cross from Pakistan’s Tribal Areas to attack US forces in Afghanistan and some of them also come back to attack Pakistani forces.

Energy: He said the US was institute $30 million to help Pakistan in the energy sector. He said it was important for Pakistan to open up opportunities for investment.

Government statements said Boucher earlier met Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani, Adviser on Interior Rehman Malik, National Security Adviser Mehmood Ali Durrani and Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi in two separate meetings.

 

[DarkStar]

jis kay tum dost huay, us ka dushman asman kyun ho....with friends like these, who needs enemies...is haalat main bhi, they want more "investment" oppurtunities. As if our country isn't mortgaged already.

******* makes me sick

 

[Neo]

jis kay tum dost huay, us ka dushman asman kyun ho....with friends like these, who needs enemies...is haalat main bhi, they want more "investment" oppurtunities. As if our country isn't mortgaged already.

******* makes me sick

We have ourselves to blame mate, not them! As the saga of missed opportunities continue I think its time for us to stop blaming the world for our failures and start looking for constructive ways to help the country out of this malaise.

Pakistan is a resourcefull country blessed with huge potential in hydro power generation and coal. As we try to raise funds to avoid default, our focus should be on power generation as this is the key for the revival of our industrial platform which is running at have capacity.

We should force our western allies to come up with a "Colombo Plan" kind of design as reward for our support and role in WoT, not just hard cash for budgetary relief. We should force them to open up their markets for Pakistani products and convince them that this is the right way to help Pakistan help herself.

Sucurity concerns have scared foreign investors, why not increase security in SEZ and play hard against militants?

Why don't we give incentives, special packages to Pakistani diaspora to invest in Pakistan?

 

[DarkStar]

i know the failure's are ours. We cannot even claim to be victims of the credit crunch, as our banks were largely unaffected from the sub prime mortgage fall out.

But I am thinking, if this is teh attitude of our friends when we are their front line ally, so to speak. What do you think will happen, when we lose this status? We'll be t hrown to the dogs, thats what will happen.

Don't you think musharraf tried to get market access for our goods? The EU promised a lot on tariff reduction etc, but zilch.

I'll give you a small example. A member of my family imports "kinnow" from Pakistan. There is no duty on imports, as soon as it hits January and the kinnow season in pakistan starts, there is an exhorbitant EU wide duty placed on citrous fruits, so that the goods cannot compete price wise with spanish fruits.

This is just one example of the numerous unfair trade practices of the west, while they keep on asking for access to our lucrative sectors and industries.

I wish we could just default, and tell them to sod off.

 

[Neo]

I'll give you a small example. A member of my family imports "kinnow" from Pakistan. There is no duty on imports, as soon as it hits January and the kinnow season in pakistan starts, there is an exhorbitant EU wide duty placed on citrous fruits, so that the goods cannot compete price wise with spanish fruits.

This is just one example of the numerous unfair trade practices of the west, while they keep on asking for access to our lucrative sectors and industries.

I wish we could just default, and tell them to sod off.

Protectionism has been a very strong tool behind the growth of EU and US and this is something we can't fight alone, Asia, Africa and Latin America as major "green" powerhouses should join hands to fight it.

Pakistan ofcourse can link free quota issue with reward for WoT. Again strong leadership and lobby is required to get it done.

 

[DarkStar]

neo bhai, they tried fighting it...you are aware that the doha round of talks has basically collapsed. teh wto has been successful in implementing most of the west's demands, but now when it has been their turn to offer concessions and reduce tariffs, we are at a dead end.

 

[mujahideen]

The President is asking everyone to invest in our economy, why doesn't he himself be the first. He is the President and must set an example. He knows we are on the verge on bankruptcy, that is why he wont invest. I am sure he can himself put in a couple of million, from his unknown fortune.

 

[doobie86]

neo bhai, they tried fighting it...you are aware that the doha round of talks has basically collapsed. teh wto has been successful in implementing most of the west's demands, but now when it has been their turn to offer concessions and reduce tariffs, we are at a dead end.

Not for long man, the west's decline is imminent and with that hopefully things will become more equal for a lot more people. I don't know about India, but China will certainly make it happen, hopefully India will follow suit soon after.

All that money cannot remain with such a small proportion of people, that's just f****** ridiculous, if there's one thing all of us can agree on, its fair trading practices.

 

[batmannow]

By the way, i just wana know where our 16bn usd assests went in just a year?
"FRIENDS OF PAKISTAN" is a loby created by US, to give way to its troops militry ops in fata.
"FRIENDS OF PAKISTAN" is a preasure group, nothing more, its about time that pakistan should hire full time ecnomy advisor, the best would be from china.
this advisor should be put along with , our president of statebank, the crunt state bank president should be ask to leave, as she isnt capable to cure the illing economy of pakistan?

 

[waraich66]

How long we live in fool paradise.In america there is no free lunch.Be brave throw their peanuts on their mouth.

Our problem is that our leaders are coward and are continusly demoralizing nation and injecting fear of America in thier hearts through media.

You are hearing capitalisim is close to distruction.

We should take motivation from Iqbal and Quaid e Azam.

The foundation of pakistan is very strong .it has blood of million of muslims.

Any one who try to harm this land will sufur badly.

What happened with Siekh mujeeb,Indra Ghandi,Bhutto etc.

 

[pkpatriotic]

The US assistant secretary of state has, like the Chinese, remained unsympathetic to Pakistan's pleas for an immediate cash injection to bail it out of economic crisis. Boucher told the top Pakistani leadership that the 'Friends of Pakistan' forum that Washington played a key role in setting up would offer 'strategic support' but would not put hard cash down on the table. This is not what Pakistan's managers want to hear. The tough words from Boucher, who had attended a preliminary meeting of the Friends forum days ago, leaves the country with almost no options but to go for what the finance adviser has called 'Plan C' – a loan facility from the IMF.

The fact that Boucher met Pakistan's top leaders, including the prime minister, the president and the finance adviser indicates how much significance was attached to his Islamabad visit. Indeed, this is expected to be the last trip to the capital by Boucher in his present capacity. The predictions coming in from Washington are that the career diplomat, who has handled South Asia for the Bush administration, will opt to bow out with it by the end of the year.

As he made his parting calls on officials who included the NWFP governor and chief minister, Boucher made it clear that the US remained dead earnest about the 'war on terror'. He promised US support for this battle would continue and also offered a rare word of praise, noting the government was taking serious action against the militants. The government has also accepted training programmes offered by the US, which had previously been turned down after a US cross-border attack on a check post. Boucher declined to say anything directly on bombing missions by the US.

These periodic invasions and the civilian deaths caused by bombs dropped by US drones have in recent weeks led to heightened concern about Pakistan's sovereignty. But the lessons from the past days, as Pakistan is hurled rapidly closer to economic crisis, is that there can be no hope of ending dependence on other nations until the financial mess we find ourselves into is sorted out. Pakistan's current state of near bankruptcy leaves it particularly vulnerable to arm-twisting tactics. Washington, as we all know, is adept at using such means to further its own interests. At present, Pakistan has few choices but to comply. In the longer run it must keep in view the fact that any meaningful talk of national sovereignty is possible only in a situation where the country has a solid economic foundation, enabling it to gain some measure of self-sufficiency. At present this is not the case and Pakistan's desperate search for dollars means it must look to friends outside to come to its aid, as it clutches desperately at straws while caught in the turbulent tide of macro-economic disaster.
Excerpted by Editorial The news

 

[TOPGUN]

The President is asking everyone to invest in our economy, why doesn't he himself be the first. He is the President and must set an example. He knows we are on the verge on bankruptcy, that is why he wont invest. I am sure he can himself put in a couple of million, from his unknown fortune.

Lol most of his money/investments are in Dubai and in London i have seen some of his realestate in Dubai when i went 4 months back my cousin is in the business and showed me atleast 9 buildings in Dubai which were shopping malls and office bulidings own by him and his fam! i have also seen 3 buidings in London as well all PAK money put in to solid realestate and offshore banks ! He is here to take for the taken really sad!! not to give i wont say more as webby has said not to bad mouth our pres but this is reality unreal GOD help PAK !!

 

[Cheetah786]

1)The fact is no one — not China, not the US, not Saudi Arabia, not the Gulf countries, not the IFIs — trusts Pakistan to behave responsibly if handed a fistful of dollars. This is their cumulative judgment from their accumulated experience of dealing with us for decades.

2 The IMF will demand that Pakistan live within its means by spending as close to much as it earns. Translated into numbers, it will mean cutting the fiscal deficit to four per cent or less; raising the tax-to-GDP ratio from 10 per cent to 15 per cent.

They way i look at it we are better of if the international donors dont donate any money to Pakistan most here knows very well all the donations end up in politicians off shore accounts.
Nothing goes to the average person on the street or the street for that matter.so what are you guys Compalining about i like it
Our future can no longer be mortgaged just so Dogs future could be finnacially secure.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

^^^ I completely agree!

I voiced similar concerns of money goign down the drain if the Biden Lugar Bill simply handed money over to the politicians in Pakistan.

In fact the whole process of aid and loans being given to developing countries is being rethought, since much of it has not done what it was supposed to because of corruption and mismanagement.

Demanding that governments come up with specific and feasible programs and proposals of how the aid or money will be utilized and the funding only those projects is a much better way to approach the issue. It also allows for an ability to chart progress year to year (or whatever period) to ensure the the funds disbursed are being utilized in the proper fashion.

 

[mujahideen]

Lol most of his money/investments are in Dubai and in London i have seen some of his realestate in Dubai when i went 4 months back my cousin is in the business and showed me atleast 9 buildings in Dubai which were shopping malls and office bulidings own by him and his fam! i have also seen 3 buidings in London as well all PAK money put in to solid realestate and offshore banks ! He is here to take for the taken really sad!! not to give i wont say more as webby has said not to bad mouth our pres but this is reality unreal GOD help PAK !!

The Bhutto family has a couple of buildings in New York. And we cant forget the million in his Swiss account.