US administration moves for approval of aid increase bill

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

Prsently there is alot of Confidance problem btw Pak and US relations. But this bill might solve this problem .

 

[Jihad]

I just sent the following message to my two US Senators:

Dear Senators Warner and Webb,
Please give favorable consideration to prompt action and approval of the Biden-Lugar Bill (S.3263) introduced last year to extend non-military aid to Pakistan in the amount of $1.5B/year for a decade. News reports say that the Bill expired with the 110th Congress but will be, or has been, re-introduced in the 111th Congress. Pakistan is struggling with multiple internal security and development problems. Non-military aid is critical to Pakistan's progress as an Islamic and democratic State. The US must do all it can muster to help the Pakistani people with economic, health services and educational development needs. Please put Virginia on the side of the Pakistani people and vote for swift passage of this much needed US assistance. Please vote for the the Biden-Lugar Bill for Non-Military Aid to Pakistan (S. 3263).

Sincerely,
[TruthSeeker]

You have my utmost thanks and gratitude, the TruthSeeker.

 

[Patriot]

I just sent the following message to my two US Senators:

Dear Senators Warner and Webb,
Please give favorable consideration to prompt action and approval of the Biden-Lugar Bill (S.3263) introduced last year to extend non-military aid to Pakistan in the amount of $1.5B/year for a decade. News reports say that the Bill expired with the 110th Congress but will be, or has been, re-introduced in the 111th Congress. Pakistan is struggling with multiple internal security and development problems. Non-military aid is critical to Pakistan's progress as an Islamic and democratic State. The US must do all it can muster to help the Pakistani people with economic, health services and educational development needs. Please put Virginia on the side of the Pakistani people and vote for swift passage of this much needed US assistance. Please vote for the the Biden-Lugar Bill for Non-Military Aid to Pakistan (S. 3263).

Sincerely,
[TruthSeeker]

Thanks Truthseeker.

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

US has copleetely lost the trust and sympathese of the people of Pakistan due to its agressive and threatning policies.
It will take many years of devoted friendly ties for US to gain its position back.

When the US sold F-16s to Pakistan during the cold war people were vary happy . Transport buses pasted F-16 on their front window and it was considerd as a pride to have a friend like US.
But when soviet left Afganistan US threwed us in its back yard and started to make ties with India and destablized our governments through various dirty tricks since then .
Only then people here realized how costly was the frienship of US both in civil and milletary institutions.
US crippled our economy by enforcing heavy embargos after the Sovien Afghan war.

And now its making strategik deals with India our true enemy and archRival on all grounds the how can at the same time expect fully devoted assistance from Pakistan.

Its simply not possible .
US can better its image with Pakistan by making simmilar deals with it as it did with india . It can re gain its image by spending heavily in the energy sector and defence by providing some real red hot wepons instead of old and outdated scrap(F-16s) and provide money fast instead of engaging it in lenthy disbursements (kerry lugar bill) which can help Pakistan to solve its energy crises in one year time.
and again help Pakistan stabalize its economy and make it an asian tiger simillar to that of Malssia and Taiwan .But presently only China is willing to do all that for Pakistan. US on the other hand is shouting do more do more and killing innocent civilians from its drone attacks.
And above all US should stop israel and india who are the main culprets of worsening US-Pakistan relations.
in short US should find all ways in which it can help Pakistan to become a stable economy.
Only then it might be in a position to enjoy full devotion from Pakistan and bring back its lost value among the People of Pakistan.
If Us had not turned its back on Pakistan after the collapse of Soviet Union then the results of this war might have been compleetly different(180 degrees) and US would have been in a very good position till now But unfortunately it took steps due to which it seriously lost confidance among the many influential institues of Pakistan.
But i dont know why i am still optomistic that relations btw Pakistan and US will get better and strenthend .

But it requires both time and loads of assistance in every feild with view of true friendship not a short term interest(Afghan_War).

 

[Awesome]

I just sent the following message to my two US Senators:

Dear Senators Warner and Webb,
Please give favorable consideration to prompt action and approval of the Biden-Lugar Bill (S.3263) introduced last year to extend non-military aid to Pakistan in the amount of $1.5B/year for a decade. News reports say that the Bill expired with the 110th Congress but will be, or has been, re-introduced in the 111th Congress. Pakistan is struggling with multiple internal security and development problems. Non-military aid is critical to Pakistan's progress as an Islamic and democratic State. The US must do all it can muster to help the Pakistani people with economic, health services and educational development needs. Please put Virginia on the side of the Pakistani people and vote for swift passage of this much needed US assistance. Please vote for the the Biden-Lugar Bill for Non-Military Aid to Pakistan (S. 3263).

Sincerely,
[TruthSeeker]

I really appreciate the gesture, and don't want to appear ungrateful, but I'm one of the few Pakistanis who are against such aid. I would welcome trade, investment ops, cooperation between our countries but am not a one of those people who appreciate this charity.

Borrowers are always at the mercy of the lenders. I hate accumulating even credit card debt, and now only keep them around for emergencies... And after buying one car on loan, the next one was on cash, after I saved for it. I think Pakistan really needs to live out its poverty and not always fall upon the credit bail outs.

So while you're in a helpful mood, lobby for an increase in textile quotas. I hear your reebok, addidas, nike really love the stuff we send out from Sialkot. You can also opt to buy more of our Basmati rice which is top quality in the world and also the cheapest. Currently India is trying to squeeze us out of the market by selling its Basmati and half of our price, while its normal prices were close to double of ours. They are dumping, basically.

So there are ways to build long term relationships with us if you really tried a little harder than throwing some money at it.

You know that "Give a man a fish" saying...

 

[IceCold]

I really appreciate the gesture, and don't want to appear ungrateful, but I'm one of the few Pakistanis who are against such aid. I would welcome trade, investment ops, cooperation between our countries but am not a one of those people who appreciate this charity.

Borrowers are always at the mercy of the lenders. I hate accumulating even credit card debt, and now only keep them around for emergencies... And after buying one car on loan, the next one was on cash, after I saved for it. I think Pakistan really needs to live out its poverty and not always fall upon the credit bail outs.

So while you're in a helpful mood, lobby for an increase in textile quotas. I hear your reebok, addidas, nike really love the stuff we send out from Sialkot. You can also opt to buy more of our Basmati rice which is top quality in the world and also the cheapest. Currently India is trying to squeeze us out of the market by selling its Basmati and half of our price, while its normal prices were close to double of ours. They are dumping, basically.

So there are ways to build long term relationships with us if you really tried a little harder than throwing some money at it.

You know that "Give a man a fish" saying...

You just stole the words right out of my mouth. Couldn't have said better anyways. This should exactly be our approach not that we keep on asking for more.

 

[AgNoStiC MuSliM]

I'll second both TS and Asim's positions.

There is no question that Pakistan is facing multiple crises at the moment, and the economic one is being exacerbated by the global economic slowdown. In a situation like this, aid, if spent wisely, can have a significant effect on investor confidence and boost the economy short term.

On teh other hand, Asim is absolutely correct that longterm cooperation between the US and Pakistan, such as through a Free and Fair Trade agreement and collaboration between Pakistani institutions - military, civic, educational, scientific - is the only long term and sustainable solution.

Pakistanis need exposure to the US, just as Americans need exposure to Pakistanis, to realize that on both sides you have the same human beings, with the same basic hopes and dreams for prosperity for themselves and their future generations.

 

[Contrarian]

Asim, quota's are bad for Pakistan. They make your mills and country more corrupt and make the owners become even less competitive, as they are assured that x amount of goods will be bought by US.

What you should ask is removal of trade barriers and non tariff barriers among other things. This will have a heck of a lot more positive impact on your Balance of Trade than an increase in quota for textiles, or whatever.

 

[Awesome]

Asim, quota's are bad for Pakistan. They make your mills and country more corrupt and make the owners become even less competitive, as they are assured that x amount of goods will be bought by US.

What you should ask is removal of trade barriers and non tariff barriers among other things. This will have a heck of a lot more positive impact on your Balance of Trade than an increase in quota for textiles, or whatever.

Well the textile quota as far as I know isn't an assurance that an X amount of it would be bought from Pakistan, rather its an assurance that ONLY X amount can be bought from Pakistan. Know the difference?

US companies are more or less in favor of going for Pakistani textiles... There's just a limit enforced upon them to not to buy more than an X amount.

 

[Awesome]

I'll second both TS and Asim's positions.

There is no question that Pakistan is facing multiple crises at the moment, and the economic one is being exacerbated by the global economic slowdown. In a situation like this, aid, if spent wisely, can have a significant effect on investor confidence and boost the economy short term.

On teh other hand, Asim is absolutely correct that longterm cooperation between the US and Pakistan, such as through a Free and Fair Trade agreement and collaboration between Pakistani institutions - military, civic, educational, scientific - is the only long term and sustainable solution.

Pakistanis need exposure to the US, just as Americans need exposure to Pakistanis, to realize that on both sides you have the same human beings, with the same basic hopes and dreams for prosperity for themselves and their future generations.

We're Pakistan. We'll never spend it wisely, we'll never get our ***** moving till the carrot is taken away. Outsiders can't fix us. The problem IS with Pakistanis. We as a society are fundamentally flawed.

Our rich people think they are Gods. The very evils Islam and Pakistan fought in their infancy are our definitions now. Can you aid an evil man into giving up evil? The US assistance should be seen as an assistance to us in continuing to do what we are doing - self destruct.

There's a difference in being effective and efficient. Efficiency is doing the same thing better and effectiveness is doing a better thing. If you perform better at doing something wrong would that be worth it? So lets do bad, but do bad while trying to do the right thing.

 

[TruthSeeker]

I understand the position of "teach a man to fish" rather than feed him. But this US aid could be used to teach Pakistanis to fish, figuratively. Non-military aid is fungible and any extra that comes in allows the GoP to fund more educational programs and to build infrastructure, such as roads, medical facilities and import/export facilities. We are not talking about so much aid that it would really change anything "politically". $1.5B is only ~ $9/person. So you shouldn't worry that it would distort society! Of course, it might go straight into Swiss banks accounts, but let's hope not. Anyway, should the US give it to someone more "worthy"? Like Israel or Egypt? Naaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

So while you're in a helpful mood, lobby for an increase in textile quotas. I hear your reebok, addidas, nike really love the stuff we send out from Sialkot. You can also opt to buy more of our Basmati rice which is top quality in the world and also the cheapest. Currently India is trying to squeeze us out of the market by selling its Basmati and half of our price, while its normal prices were close to double of ours. They are dumping, basically.

Well i AM FROM SIALKOT . MAN APART FROM BASMATI RICE THE LEATHER INDUSTRIES THERE ALSO HAVE MANY THINGS TO OFFER . lIKE IN THE FIFA FRANCE WORLDCUP LEATHER INDUSTRIES IN SIALKOT WERE GIVEN CONTRACTS WORTH $5MILLION FROM THE JIANTS LIKE NIKE & ADDIDAS TO MANUFACTURE GLOVES JACKETS AND FOOTBALLS. MORE THAN 200,000 FOOTBALLS WERE DELIVERD FOR THE FIFA FRENCH WORLDCUP.

PLUS THERE ARE INDUSTRIES WHICH MAKE SURGICAL INSTRUMENTS AND CUTTLARY EQUIPMENT OF EXPORT QUALITY .

 

[H2O3C4Nitrogen]

I understand the position of "teach a man to fish" rather than feed him. But this US aid could be used to teach Pakistanis to fish, figuratively. Non-military aid is fungible and any extra that comes in allows the GoP to fund more educational programs and to build infrastructure, such as roads, medical facilities and import/export facilities. We are not talking about so much aid that it would really change anything "politically". $1.5B is only ~ $9/person. So you shouldn't worry that it would distort society! Of course, it might go straight into Swiss banks accounts, but let's hope not. Anyway, should the US give it to someone more "worthy"? Like Israel or Egypt? Naaaaaaaaaaaaaa!

Yes this aid could greatly enhance the developmental projects going on .

i think Israel is already getting huge amount of aid from the US and Egypt will be getting milletary upgradation deal.

As far as aid for Egypt and Israel is concerened. I think currently in the global scenario US needs Pakistan more than these countries. And due to its Most strategik Geo Political position US cannot afford to freez ties with us as it did after the Soviet Afghan War by enforcing embargos.
The worls changing
For US to have any kind of influence in this reagion It must develope good relations with Pakistan and confidance.
Currently in South Asia China and India are the major players but if you need to do somthing in Afghanistan you must need Pakistan under your tent and that can only happen if US gives up its old agressive policies regarding Pakistan and start helping us by really developing somthing on ground. I mean Chinese upgraded our Heavy Rebuild Factories and has build the deep sea port of Gawadar. Even Russians have built our very own STEELMILLS.
What US has given to us just a temporary aid or few upgraded F-16s after all what they got from us.
I seriously think US should set up a plant to locally manufacture these F-16s and also give us the License to sell its spare parts to allied countries. This would be considerd as an act of true friendship and may perhaps compleetely change the Level of our Mutual relationship.
But i know this wont gona happen due to the precense of Indian Favouring Jew Lobby operating in US.

 

[TruthSeeker]

Ambassador opposes US aid with strings

Dawn, February 08, 2009

LONDON, Feb 7: Aid from the Obama administration to Pakistan should come without strings attached, Pakistan’s ambassador to the US said in an interview published on Saturday.

Husain Haqqani told the Financial Times that “assistance that is conditional is never good”.

His comments came after US Vice-President Joe Biden said on Friday the Obama administration would revive a plan to send 1.5 billion dollars of military aid to Pakistan.

The US reportedly wants to triple civilian aid but impose conditions to ensure military assistance to Pakistan goes towards fighting militants in Afghanistan, not building up defences against India.

“Assistance that is conditional is never good,” Mr Haqqani told the FT.

“Our advice has been that while we can always discuss what the Americans would prefer... (conditional aid) is not going to serve US or Pakistani interests.”

He pledged Pakistan would focus on fighting its ‘primary threat’, which he said currently came from “terrorism and not from our eastern neighbour”.

But he warned: “There is no bullet that has been invented that Pakistan can be given to shoot at the terrorists that cannot be used in case there is a war with India.”—AFP


________________________________

"“Our advice has been that while we can always discuss what the Americans would prefer... (conditional aid) is not going to serve US or Pakistani interests.”"

My point of view is that the "conditions" are to some extent only being required to serve US domestic political worries, mainly the Israeli Lobby. So, I think Pakistan should just agree to vague "conditions" and then do what is best for Pakistan with the aid and have the "discussion" about Pakistani "compliance", if necessary. I think the US needs Pakistani co-operation so much, with respect to Afghanistan, and wants Pakistan to be a stable republic so that the Pakistanis would have the upper hand in any retrospective discussion of whether or not Pakistan met it's "obligations" under the terms of the aid package(s).

 

[PakistanMyPride]

I really appreciate the gesture, and don't want to appear ungrateful, but I'm one of the few Pakistanis who are against such aid. I would welcome trade, investment ops, cooperation between our countries but am not a one of those people who appreciate this charity.

Borrowers are always at the mercy of the lenders. I hate accumulating even credit card debt, and now only keep them around for emergencies... And after buying one car on loan, the next one was on cash, after I saved for it. I think Pakistan really needs to live out its poverty and not always fall upon the credit bail outs.

So while you're in a helpful mood, lobby for an increase in textile quotas. I hear your reebok, addidas, nike really love the stuff we send out from Sialkot. You can also opt to buy more of our Basmati rice which is top quality in the world and also the cheapest. Currently India is trying to squeeze us out of the market by selling its Basmati and half of our price, while its normal prices were close to double of ours. They are dumping, basically.

So there are ways to build long term relationships with us if you really tried a little harder than throwing some money at it.

You know that "Give a man a fish" saying...

Same thoughts from my side

TS's gesture is no doubt appreciable BUT there is also a BIG question about the conditions attached with this Bill!!

now coming back to your suggestions, I’ll add one more. If US really wants to help us then why not America goes for investment in our country? I mean, if $1.5B/year are invested in Pakistan then it would be really beneficial. After all, we've suffered a lot due to WOT. Our economy is in crisis due to this factor also. Investors are not coming to Pakistan due to law & order situation. Our country has given lots of sacrifices for Americans. Now they should also come forward and invest in our country; it'll also send a good message to the investors of other countries.