Bush focused wrong issues, says Holbrooke

By Wajid Ali Syed – Washington Correspondent for Asian Tribune

Washington, 13 May, (Asiantribune.com): The US special representative to Pakistan and Afghanistan says a proposal to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan "corrects" previous policies that focused too heavily on aid to Pakistan's military.

Richard Holbrooke told the Senate Foreign Relations Committee that the Bush administration focused on the "wrong issues" and provided Pakistan with what he described as a "pathetic" amount of aid, considering the threat that extremists in the region pose to the United States.

A bill proposed by the top two senators on the panel, chairman John Kerry and Richard Lugar, seeks to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan to $1.5 billion annually for the next five years.

Holbrooke said the United States will work to promote health, education, agriculture and law enforcement in Pakistan.

He added that the Obama administration cannot promise "perfection" with its new strategy but it can redirect America's focus in the region.

Holbrooke said a recent White House meeting between the presidents of the United States, Pakistan and Afghanistan will help the two regional leaders deal with an extremely complex situation. But he said real victory against the Taliban and al-Qaida will depend on what actually happens on the ground in the region.

- Asian Tribune -