A US House of Representatives Committee has approved a bill to finance foreign aid for next year that also includes a dollars 752 million package for Pakistan. The foreign aid bill for fiscal 2008, beginning October 1, will now advance to approval stage by the two chambers of US Congress.
It will now go to the full House for passage and the Senate will pass its own version and the two are to be eventually reconciled. The approved package for Pakistan totalling $752.1 million includes assistance in economic and military fields. The bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee also includes assistance for other countries.
Pakistan is a major ally in the US-led fight against terrorism, having played a key role in combating terrorists along Pakistan-Afghanistan border. The two countries agreed on a five-year assistance package in the year 2003 during President Pervez Musharraf's visit to the United States when President George Bush pledged wide-ranging relations with the key South Asian ally. The United States also announced recently to extend cooperation for economic development in Pakistan's federally administered tribal areas.