LAHORE: In a controversial move which has created ripples in Islamabad, the Obama administration has decided to spend around one billion dollars from its $2.4 billion War Supplemental Package for Pakistan on the construction and strengthening of its new embassy in Islamabad and additional staffing of the US mission.
According to well placed diplomatic circles in Islamabad, in a bid to strengthen its presence in Pakistan, the decisioon makers in Washington has decided to bring about 1,000 personnel, including a large number of American Marines, to Pakistan. For that matter, Washington has already undertaken a project to rebuild and refurbish the embassy building and construct accommodation for the additional staff and a massive complex for the Marines to be stationed in the capital. The US plan to reinforce its presence in Pakistan has already created ripples in Islamabad as the move means stationing of more American military and intelligence personnel in diplomatic guise. But what is more worrying for the ruling circles in Pakistan is the fact that the United States will be spending the entire amount of one billion dollars from $2.4 billion share for Pakistan in the Pentagon War Supplemental Package for the fiscal year 2009, in a clear departure from the usual practice of using State Department finances for such projects.
The Pakistani intelligence circles describe the upcoming American structure in Islamabad as a ‘super embassy’ rivaling only the American mission in Baghdad. A breakdown of the war supplemental aid package shows that $707 million has been earmarked for economic assistance, $700 million for counter-insurgency capability fund, $896 million for the new secured US embassy and consulates in Pakistan and $46 million for enhanced diplomatic operations covering logistics for civilian staff surge and security. From the package, Pakistan will practically receive $707 million as economic assistance and that will include $225 million announced by Washington as assistance for displaced persons. Closer scrutiny of the much trumpeted US aid package shows that the Pakistan government, after subtracting the assistance for the Internally Displaced Persons (IDPs), who had to leave their homes in the wake of the ongoing military operations in parts of tribal areas, will get a mere $482 million as well as some improved counter-insurgency capacity.
However, US embassy officials in Islamabad defend the Obama administration’s move, by saying it has been necessitated by the tripling of aid for Pakistan by the Obama administration. According to a US embassy spokesman in Islamabad, the US administration needs the capacity to disburse money and exercise oversight. Asked about the clubbing of the cost for the new US embassy and associated logistics with the war supplemental aid package, the spokesman said that it was because of legislative procedures on Capitol Hill. “That’s how legislative system works in Washington”, he added.
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