Obama Gives 7.5 Billion in Aid to Pakistan

7.5 Billion USD:

President Obama signed legislation providing an additional $7.5 billion in assistance to the Pakistani government. The aid guarantee comes as the Pakistani government combats a wave of attacks believed to have been orchestrated by Taliban militants and as the Obama administration works on a comprehensive review of U.S. strategy in both Pakistan and neighboring Afghanistan.  “This law is the tangible manifestation of broad support for Pakistan in the U.S.,” the White House said in a statement on Thursday.

On Wednesday, the heads of foreign relations panels in the House of Representatives and Senate provided a written explanation of the aid bill, a response to Pakistani complaints that the United States was meddling in its affairs. Pakistani Foreign Minister Shah Mahmood Qureshi joined Sen. John Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Rep. Howard Berman, chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee, as the U.S. lawmakers spoke to reporters. Qureshi rushed back to Washington this week to report on opposition inside the Pakistani Parliament to the five-year package of nonmilitary aid. Some Pakistani politicians said the aid bill was a U.S. attempt to micromanage Pakistan‘s civilian and military affairs.