Pak aid must be supervised by World Bank trust to prevent misuse: US analyst

Washington, Jun.1 (ANI): The billions of dollars which is being showered on Pakistan to carry out development projects must be accompanied with a World Bank (WB) administered Trust Fund to prevent it being from misused, and to ensure that the aid does not land in the hands of the corrupt, a US based political analyst, Christine Fair has said.

Fair, a senior fellow at the Rand Corporation, in her article said Pakistan must ensure that the funds are being utilized exactly for the purpose it is built for.

"This trust fund should require Pakistani entities to contribute to their own aid programmes, develop a robust plan for execution and adhere to international accounting standards," The Nation quoted Fair, as saying.

Fair said such a trust was already working in Afghanistan.

"A similar fund operates successfully in Afghanistan. Information on expenditures should be transparent and available to all, especially Pakistanis," she added.

She also highlighted that successive failure of democratic set-ups in Pakistan has resulted in increased extremism and nuclear black-marketeering, which is threatening for the entire world.

"The massive infusion of foreign aid has also allowed Pakistan to avoid having to choose between guns and butter. Such choices define the democratic process. But successive Pakistani governments have successfully wagered that chronic instability and the imminent dangers of terrorism and nuclear black-marketeering would leave the world with no choice but to bail them out, regardless of their failures," Fair said.

She said it was more important for the United States to secure the support of the people of Pakistan than to just fulfill its fiscal responsibilities. (ANI)