Great American failure: op-ed in The News, Oct 11

By Dr Farrukh Saleem
The writer is the executive director of the Centre for Research and Security Studies
Over the past seven years, direct overt US aid and military reimbursements to Pakistan stand at a colossal $15.449 billion. Of the total, $10.941 billion was security-related and $4.598 billion economic-related. America’s economic-related assistance has been under the following seven categories:

1. Economic Support Funds (ESF) totalled a massive $3,488 billion under which the US Congress ‘authorised Pakistan to use allocations to cancel a total of about $1.5 billion in concessional debt to the US government’. In 2005, 2006 and 2007, $200 million per year was transferred into Pakistan’s account — in cash — for Pakistan’s budgetary support. 2. Development Assistance (DA) amounting to $286 million. 3. International Disaster Assistance (IDA) amounted to a huge $225 million that –supposedly — went into the 2005 Kashmir Earthquake plus relief for Pakistan’s internally displaced persons. 4. Food Aid of $220 million. 5. Child Survival and Health (CSH) $185 million. 6. Human Rights and Democracy $17 million. 7. Migration and Refugee Assistance (MRA) $17 million.

To begin with, $4.598 billion economic-related assistance converts to Rs360 billion or Rs2,000 for each and every Pakistani man, woman and child alive. Where has all that gone? Can anyone put together a list of just 2,000 Pakistani men who would acknowledge to having been economically benefited from America’s economic-related assistance?

Next, development assistance of $286 million means Rs23 billion — enough to generate 300 MW of electricity. What has America developed? IDA Rs18 billion, that’s huge. The earthquake had left 3.3 million Pakistanis homeless and Rs18 billion means Rs5,500 for each and every homeless. Can anyone collect a mere 5,000 earthquake affected Pakistanis who would admit to American assistance? Next, food aid. Food aid from America is nearly Rs18 billion and that means Rs100 for each and every Pakistan or Rs500 for each and every Pakistani family. There’s a sugar crisis and a wheat crisis. Does anyone see the $220 million making any visible impact on the lives of real Pakistanis desperately seeking sugar and wheat on the streets of Pakistan?

Next, America’s child survival and health spending in Pakistan — a huge $185 million but nothing to show for it. Imagine; the government of Japan gave Islamabad a 230-bed children’s hospital. Imagine; the government of Japan touches the hearts of 400 a day in the outpatient department plus daily average admissions in inpatient department of 30 plus daily average surgical procedures of 15 plus accident and emergency of an additional 100 per day. Where is Uncle Sam?

At the foothills of Margalla, there is a Japanese park. Then there is Argentine park right next to Federal Government Services Hospital that caters to some 7,000 patients per day. The Chinese built the Karakoram, from Hasan Abdal to Kashgar. But, the Americans have always remained confined to their embassy complex. For the record, 80 million Pakistanis are “unable to secure an adequate nutritional intake” and 80 million are illiterate. Imagine; a mere two per cent of American aid has gone into education. Imagine; a wholesome $4.598 billion has been spent over the past seven years but there’s absolutely nothing to show for it.

Now that America firmed up its resolve to touch the hearts of poor Pakistanis — through the Kerry-Lugar Aid Package — the elites are feeling left-off. For the first time, in the 60-year history of US-Pakistan relations America wants to build hospitals and schools. For the first time, in the 60-year history of US-Pakistan relations America wants to give to Pakistan’s civil society. And, the civil-military elite are feeling left-off. America’s direct overt aid remains invisible, concealed, covert and unseen — all in one. Is this the great American failure in Pakistan — did America fail to plan in Pakistan or did it plan to fail? http://www.thenews.com.pk/editorial_detail.asp?id=202682