US to continue long standing accountability measures for Pak aid

Islamabad, Sep.17 (ANI): The United States has made it clear that it would maintain a tight vigil on the aid being given to Pakistan to ensure that the funds are being used exactly for the purpose they are meant for.

US Ambassador to Pakistan Anne Patterson said the US would continue to maintain the various long standing accountability measures to ensure transparency in the distribution of the allocations.

"The US government will continue to deliver assistance to Pakistan through a variety of long-standing vectors as required by American law, to ensure transparency and accountability. The US is not depriving the Pakistani government of any degree of direct funding as a result of a lack of confidence or trust," The Daily Times quoted Patterson, as saying.

Patterson said some the non-military aid under the Kerry-Lugar legislation would be transferred to Pakistan through government institutions, private sector firms and some international and Pakistani non-government organizations (NGO's).

"There's huge internal capacity to develop Pakistan, and we want to tap into it. Using a deliberate qualifying process, we will stream more funding through national, provincial and local institutions, and build their capacity to work with us in the future," she added. (ANI)