Obama proposes $3.1b for Pakistan in 2012 budget. PHOTO: AFP/FILE
WASHINGTON: The Obama administration has proposed $3.1 billion in the 2012 budget for US economic and security assistance and diplomatic operations in Pakistan, said a senior American official on Tuesday.
The administration’s spending for Pakistan is broken into two parts, the “enduring core part” – meaning long-term assistance programs – and the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), an administration official said at a briefing on President Barack Obama’s budget proposals for the fiscal year 2012, beginning October 1, 2011.
As part of the long-term economic and security assistance, President Obama is seeking $1.9 billion in the year 2012. The amount will also cover the cost of American aid operations and diplomatic presence.
Of the $1.9 billion, around $1.5 billion is annual money to be allocated under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman five-year aid measure.
It also includes $350 million in foreign military financing programs, which is part of the five-year agreement between the two countries.
Under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman initiative, the US funds a number of programs including development of democracy and wide-ranging infrastructure projects to assist Pakistan’s economic progress.
On the OCO side of the budget, the administration has proposed $1.2 billion, out of which $146 million is for operational expenditure.
Under the OCO, $1.1 billion is to be devoted to the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund (PCCF). The PCCF seeks to train Pakistani forces for a more effective fight against insurgents along the country’s western border with Afghanistan
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