Pakistan in Media

Prime Minister Yousaf Raza Gilani has asked the visiting US envoy for Pakistan and Afghanistan, Mr Richard Holbrooke, to convey his request to Washington for the writing-off of a $1.35 billion Pakistani debt to the United States. Mr Holbrooke’s response was that “the US would look into the matter”. Mr Gilani welcomed the $300 million additional American assistance to the refugees from Malakand-Swat and asked that the annual aid package of $1.5 billion be expedited.

From Mr Holbrooke’s remark that “measures were being taken to accelerate military supplies to Pakistan” one can infer that the American support to the Pakistan Army at this critical juncture is an important factor in Pak-US relations. Mr Gilani pointedly hoped that the “major European and Muslim countries would follow the US lead and come up with timely assistance”.

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