House bill to triple aid to Pakistan goes to President for his signature

October 7th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Senator John Kerry, the main sponsor of the controversial Kerry Lugar Bill, has said Washington has no intention to harm Pakistan's sovereignty through the Bill. Addressing a press conference after meeting Pakistan Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi here, Kerry said the Obama Administration wants to work for the better of the Pakistanis and stressed that the aid Bill is a clear sign of US' direct relations with the people of Pakistan.

September 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - Amid the growing discontent in Pakistan over the terms and conditions attached with the much awaited Kerry-Lugar aid bill, Islamabad has hired a new lobbyist to push its cause in the aftermath of what is being widely believed to be a historic blunder. Pakistan has hired Cassidy and Associates, one of the biggest lobbying firms in Washington, for a whopping 700,000 dollars a year plus expenses which can run into thousands of dollars, The News reports.

September 30th, 2009 Congress approves tripling aid to PakistanWASHINGTON — Legislation to triple aid to Pakistan and stem the tide of radicalism and anti-Americanism in that Asian nation cleared Congress on Wednesday and moved to President Barack Obama for his signature. The bill, approved by a voice vote in the House, would provide Pakistan with $1.5 billion in aid a year over the next five years focused on democratic, economic and social development programs.

September 30th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US Congress is set to take the final step to triple non-military aid to Pakistan, but with stringent conditions demanding action against extremist groups on its soil and preventing attacks on neighbouring countries, namely India. Though the bill scheduled for a vote in the House of Representatives Wednesday does not mention India so as not to hurt Islamabad's sensitivities, it specifically lists extremist movements Lashkar-e-Taiba (LeT), the outfit behind the 26/11 Mumbai attacks, and Jaish-e-Mohammed (JeM).

September 26th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The much awaited Kerry-Lugar bill, which seeks 1.5 billion dollars of annual assistance to Pakistan for the next five years, has been tabled in the US Lower House following the Senate's approval. Chairman of the House Committee on Foreign Affairs, Howard Berman, while welcoming the Senate's decision, tabled the bill in the House of Representatives.

September 24th, 2009 US touts Pakistan aid billNEW YORK — Alarmed by persistent anti-American sentiment and rising Taliban influence in Pakistan, the Obama administration hailed Thursday's Senate vote to triple foreign aid to the country. Passage of the bill that will provide Pakistan with $1.5 billion in aid a year over the next five years coincided with a meeting in New York of major supporters of Pakistan co-chaired by President Barack Obama.

September 24th, 2009 Senate votes to triple foreign aid to PakistanWASHINGTON — The Senate voted Thursday to triple foreign aid to Pakistan, with lawmakers saying the legislation could change the crisis-driven nature of U.S.-Pakistan relations and create ties based more on long-term interests. The Senate voted by voice to approve the measure that approves $1.5 billion a year over the next five years for democratic, economic and social development assistance.

July 10th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives has approved an aid bill authorizing the 1.519 billion dollars being given to Pakistan as assistance during the current fiscal year. Similarly, the Senate Appropriations Committee also approved its own version of the bill which would provide Pakistan 1.57 billion dollars in aid in 2010, The Nation reports.

June 25th, 2009 Senate votes to triple non-defense aid to PakistanWASHINGTON — The Senate voted Wednesday to triple nonmilitary aid to Pakistan in hopes of bolstering economic and political stability there and to help change the negative attitudes of many Pakistanis toward America. The bill approves $1.5 billion a year over five years in humanitarian and economic aid to Pakistan.

June 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - US Special Envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke has said that the huge humanitarian and military aid being offered to Pakistan is critical for America's security interests. "Pakistan needs our help and that help is in our own national security interests.

June 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives has approved a bill authorizing economic and military aid to Pakistan. The bill will have certain benchmarks, but Senators are still undecided over what and how many yardsticks would be attached to it.

June 12th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US House of Representatives has approved a bill to provide Pakistan $1.5 billion annually in aid till 2013, a media report said Friday. The House Thursday voted 238-183 to triple the US annual aid to Pakistan.

May 15th, 2009 WASHINGTON - The US Senate Appropriations Committee has approved about 900 million dollars in economic and security aid for Pakistan which is battling Taliban, spilling over its border with Afghanistan. The Senate allocated 91.3 billion dollars measure to fund the wars in Iraq and Afghanistan through September 30, the Dawn reports.

April 3rd, 2009 WASHINGTON - The hearing on the bipartisan Kerry-Lugar bill, which seeks 1.5 billion dollars of annual assistance to Pakistan for five years, has been postponed indefinitely. The US Senate Committee on Foreign Relations had scheduled a full committee hearing on Wednesday, but it had to be postponed for technical reasons.

February 25th, 2009 KARACHI - Skipper Younis Khan Tuesday became the third Pakistani to score a triple century as the hosts looked set to save the first cricket Test against Sri lanka at the National Stadium here. Younis, 31, reverse swept Muttiah Muralitharan for three runs to complete his first triple century and became the first Pakistani captain to achieve this feat.