Financial Assistance

ISLAMABAD : Prime Minister Syed Yusuf Raza Gilani on Sunday said the United States should channelise disbursement of its financial assistance to Pakistan through the existing mechanism of the government of Pakistan. He underlined the fact that disbursement through NGOs involves out of proportion administrative expenses, sometimes to the extant of 35 - 40% and hence, actual amount spent on the welfare of the public gets drastically reduced. The Prime Minister was talking to the US Deputy Secretary of State for Resources and Management, Jacob J. Lew who accompanied by the Acting Administrator of USAID, Alouso L. Fulgham called on him here at the PM House on Sunday evening. Prime Minister Gilani suggested that the US Deputy Secretary of State should have detailed meetings with the Minister and the Secretary of Finance to work out mutually agreed modalities on the procedure of financial assistance. He pointed out that the Benazir Income Support Programme, Higher Education Commission, the existing basic education and the basic health units in Pakistan should be considered for the US assistance for education, health and poverty alleviation sectors.The Prime Minister termed the energy sector as the top priority of his government and called on the US government to help Pakistan in specific energy projects by mobilising investment for the power sector requirements. The US Deputy Secretary of State while congratulating the Government of Pakistan for successful operation against the militants in Swat and Malakand and for its on-going efforts for rehabilitation of the dislocated persons, assured his government s full support in this regard. He said that the US government in co-ordination with the government of Pakistan would identify the projects for assistance in the reconstruction phase of the affected areas. The US Deputy Secretary of State said that the main objective of his visit to Pakistan was to gain first hand knowledge about the latest economic situation and to discuss with Pakistan authorities the viable and appropriate projects in power sector and the provision of infrastructure in the Reconstruction Opportunities Zones (ROZ) areas. Minister for Commerce Makhdoom Amin Fahim, Adviser on National Reconstruction Bureau, Senator Sughra Imam, Finance Secretary Salman Siddique, Foreign Secretary Salman Bashir and the US Ambassador Ms Anne W. Patterson were also present during the meeting.