US announces 20 million dollars more in aid for Pakistan
WASHINGTON — The United States announced Tuesday it is increasing its aid to flood-hit Pakistan by another 20 million dollars, bringing the total to 55 million dollars.
Mark Ward, acting director of the US Office of Foreign Disaster Assistance, also told reporters that still more aid could be announced as the full scope of the disaster becomes clearer as the weather improves.
"We're announcing an additional 20 million dollars in humanitarian assistance from the United States for the flood-affected citizens of Pakistan," Ward told reporters.
"What we're going to be doing with this additional money is, just as the flood is moving south, we are going to move south," he said.
He said US agencies are distributing the aid via international humanitarian groups as well as Pakistani non-government organizations (NGOs) which are vetted to ensure they are not linked to extremist Islamist groups.
"We're also going to be using Pakistani NGOs that have particular access to parts of the country where we have not been active before," Ward said.
US funds have already been used to help the UN High Commissioner for Refugees provide tents, clothing, food, clean drinking water and medicine to people displaced by floods.
Daniel Feldman, a senior State Department official working on Afghanistan and Pakistan, meanwhile dismissed reports of extremist groups providing aid to needy Pakistanis as "quite overblown."
Referring to US efforts to win public support in a country where anti-American feelings run high, Ward said the US government tries to "brand as much as possible" the aid that it delivers.
"In this crisis, in the face of this disaster, we very much want the Pakistani people to know that the people of the United States are behind them, are helping," Ward said.
For example, US helicopters and other military assets delivering aid "show the flag," while plastic sheeting sent by the US Agency for International Development is stamped with "from the American people," Ward said.
"We do, however, consider exceptions to the branding where it could have an impact on the safety of our aid workers in the field," Ward said.
"And from time to time in Pakistan we take that into account and we waive the branding requirement," he added.
Concerned about anti-American sentiment, the Obama administration is trying to engage more fully with Pakistan, which has long seen Washington as interested only in securing its military cooperation in fighting terrorism.
Last week, US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton vowed that Washington will help Pakistan, a top ally in the fight against Islamist militants, cope with its flood disaster "in the days and weeks ahead."
The floods have swamped the Swat Valley, a stronghold of the Taliban and its Al-Qaeda allies. Pakistan launched a major offensive in Swat last year to clear it of Taliban and restore government control.
AFP: US announces 20 million dollars more in aid for Pakistan