By IANS,
Islamabad: Two days after US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton said she considered India a global power, a top American diplomat echoed the thought here Wednesday, saying New Delhi could not be overlooked in Washington’s Af-Pak strategy.
No third country – and only Pakistan and Afghanistan – was part of his mandate, the US special envoy for Afghanistan and Pakistan Richard Holbrooke told reporters here, adding that India, being a major power in the region, could not be overlooked.
Soon after his arrival Wednesday, the envoy met Pakistani Prime Minister Yousuf Raza Gilani and Pakistani Army chief Gen. Ashfaq Parvez Kayani.
He also announced that the US will give $165 million more for rehabilitating the refugees who have fled the fighting in the Swat Valley and other parts of Pakistan’s restive northwest.
Of this, $45 million would be committed for reconstruction and restoration of infrastructure including water, health, schools, roads and bridges in the affected areas, for which local manpower would be utilised, Holbrooke said.
Another $20 million would be spent for reconstruction of educational infrastructure in Buner and Swat, he added.
The US would also provide $1 million for establishment of SMS text messaging service with the help of the Pakistani and US governments and Pakistani telecom companies, Holbrooke said.
According to the envoy, providing assistance was the job of donor countries and donor agencies, but tackling the problems was the responsibility of the Pakistani government.
He lamented that the international community had not adequately responded to the appeals for aid for the rehabilitation of the refugees, and blamed this on the global economic downturn.
He noted that the Pakistani security forces were successfully operating against the militants on the country’s western borders.