Obama proposes 3.1-bn-dollar US aid to Pak in fiscal year 2012

Washington, Feb 16(ANI): The Obama administration has proposed a staggering amount of 3.1-billion-dollars, as financial assistance to Pakistan in the 2012 budget, despite its standoff with the Asian nation on double murder-accused US official Raymond Davis' detention issue.

The administration's assistance for Pakistan is broken up into two parts, the "enduring core part"- meaning long-term assistance programs- and the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO), Geo News quoted an administration official, as saying at a briefing on Obama's budget proposals for the fiscal year 2012, beginning October 1, 2011.

As part of the long-term economic and security assistance, Obama has proposed 1.9 billion dollars in the year 2012, which will also cover the cost of American aid operations and diplomatic presence in Pakistan.

Of the 1.9 billion dollars, about 1.5 billion is the annual money to be allocated under the Kerry-Lugar-Berman five-year aid to Pakistan.

It also includes 350 million dollars in foreign military financing programs, which is part of the five-year agreement between the two countries. Some USAID operating expenses are also included in that amount.

Pakistan gets 1.2 billion dollars for "helping eliminate violent extremist elements and strengthen regional security" under the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) Budget".

Under the OCO, 1.1 billion dollars are to be devoted to the Pakistan Counterinsurgency Capability Fund (PCCF), which is a program that the two countries have worked jointly with the Department of Defense and the Department of State.

The PCCF seeks to train Pakistan's forces for a more effective fight against insurgents along the country's western border with Afghanistan.

"So the unique part of the budget, the extraordinary part of the budget is the PCCF," said the administration official.

"The enduring part of the budget is more of our economic and military assistance thats going to be sustainable over the long term," he added. (ANI)