BOMBINGS and kidnappings in Pakistan have prompted US vows to redouble the fight against extremism with key ally Islamabad, but have also heightened calls for economic assistance to combat terrorism. “It's an opportunity for the United States and other Western countries ... to help stabilize Pakistan,” said Shuja Nawaz, an expert on the Pakistani military. “They need to do something quickly to get money into the region.” “Next year may be too late,” Nawaz said. “You have a civilian government (in Pakistan) that is hanging by its fingernails.” The suicide truck bomb that killed at least 53 people at the Islamabad Marriott on Saturday raised fears about worsening security in nuclear-armed Pakistan. Compounding a sense of crisis, gunmen kidnapped Afghanistan's top diplomat to Pakistan, Abdul Khaliq Farahi, after killing his driver in an ambush on Monday in Peshawar. State Department spokesman Robert Wood said the hotel bombing was “an example of why we, the Pakistanis, the Afghans, need to work and redouble our efforts to counter extremists.” US Defense Secretary Robert Gates urged Congress on Tuesday to approve additional economic aid for Pakistan to signal America's long-term commitment to Pakistan and “significantly advance our strategic interests.” “During this time of political turmoil in Pakistan, it is especially crucial that we maintain a strong and positive relationship with the government since any deterioration would be a setback for both Pakistan and Afghanistan,” Gates told a congressional panel. The United States has spent billions of dollars in recent years helping Pakistan fight Al-Qaeda and the Taleban, particularly in the poor, ungovernable tribal areas of Pakistan along remote borders with Afghanistan. Many experts say the hotel bombing shows US military aid must be better spent, with more going to counterinsurgency and counterterrorism instead of conventional war capabilities. But Washington also needs to shift its focus from the needs of Pakistan's military to those of the population, especially in the poor border regions where the fighting is, experts say. They say this would help combat growing calls for Pakistan to rethink its unpopular alliance with the United States. Billions in new aid Legislation in Congress would more than triple nonmilitary aid, to $1.5 billion annually, over five years. The cash would help improve schools, build clinics, drill wells and reform police. Some would go to border areas, but it would be available for projects throughout the country. The bipartisan legislation passed the Senate Foreign Relations Committee in late July. It is sponsored by Delaware Sen. Joe Biden, the Democratic vice presidential candidate, and Republican Sen. Richard Lugar of Indiana. The Bush administration worked with lawmakers who crafted the bill, and Democratic presidential candidate Barack Obama is among its co-sponsors. But with Congress in tumult over the Bush administration's financial markets bailout plan, there's a question mark over many other bills, including the Pakistan aid measure. Recent efforts to add it to important legislation authorizing defense spending were blocked. The Heritage Foundation's Lisa Curtis doubts it can pass this year, but thinks it has a good chance next Congress. “The next US president, whoever it is, will understand how important a strong US relationship with Pakistan is, and therefore would prioritize it passing,” said Curtis, a senior research fellow on South Asia. But Nawaz insisted Congress should find the time and money right now to deal with the crisis in what he called “the most dangerous part of the world today” – Pakistan. – Reuters __
