Economic package for Pakistan by US and international community

As per media reports the United States is working on a major economic package for Pakistan and Afghanistan, besides involving the two countries in formulating a new security strategy for the region. Richard Holbrooke, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan, had recently invited about a dozen economists from the two countries for discussing various proposals for the economic uplift of the region.

The participants said that the United States was developing a multi-pronged approach for ending terrorism and militancy from the Afghan-Pakistan region, with a major emphasis on economic development. A former Pakistani finance minister, Shahid Javed Burki, who also participated in the meeting, proposed a $60 billion package for economic development in Pakistan.

Under this proposal, the donors will contribute half of this fund while Pakistan will provide the other half. Since Pakistan does not have that kind of cash at this stage, the donors will make their contributions first. The donors will also be involved in formulating various programmes for economic development and also in implementing them.

Americans are seemed to be very interested in the proposal, which would also call for establishing a social security system in Pakistan and for easing the economic burden on ordinary people. Mr Burki also suggested that since the Pashtoons living on both sides of the border were one community, the Durand Line should be treated as a soft border. Former Afghan finance minister, Ashraf Ghani, also supported the proposal.

At this critical juncture, wherein both Afghanistan and Pakistan are suffering the most in the so called war against terror, it is binding on the international community to come forward and initiate programmes for the social development of the region by initiating major investment in the education, health and create alternate source of living for the local peoples.

Both Afghanistan and Pakistan are pregnant with chronicle problems you name any problem you will find in the region Kalashnikov and heroin culture is result of the continuous war and terrorism in the region. The war lords in the region especially in Afghanistan have been found to be most powerful and influential. The people can only be liberated by careful planning. If locals have the sources of earnings and can stand on their own feet I am sure they will not look towards the war lords.