Afghanistan to be paid $16b donation

Donors at a conference on Afghanistan have pledged to give it $16bn (£10.3bn) in civilian aid over four years, in an attempt to safeguard its future after foreign forces leave in 2014; BBC reported.

“This scale of pledge will satisfy the fiscal gap that the World Bank and the Afghan government have said would be needed for the development of the country,” Japanese Foreign Minister Koichiro Gemba said Saturday.

Afghan President Hamid Karzai, who is attending the conference along with US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and United Nations chief Ban Ki-moon, has called for $4 billion a year in civilian aid.

"It will take many years of hard work on our part as Afghans, as well as continued empowering support from our international partners before Afghanistan can achieve prosperity and self-reliance. - We must do what we can to deepen the roots of security and make the transition irreversible." Hamid Karzai said.

"Failure to invest in governance, justice, human rights, employment and social development could negate investment and sacrifices that have been made over the last 10 years," said UN Secretary-General Ban Ki-moon.

US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton stressed the need for reform to safeguard changes achieved in Afghanistan. "That must include fighting corruption, improving governance, strengthening the rule of law, increasing access to economic opportunity for all Afghans, especially for women," she said.

Speaking during a brief stop-over in Kabul on her way to Tokyo on Saturday, Mrs Clinton announced that the US had given Kabul the status of "major non-Nato ally".

The a move is seen as another signal aimed at allaying Afghan fears about waning Western support. The designation as major non-Nato ally, which already includes close US allies such as Australia and Israel, gives Kabul easier access to advanced US military technology and streamlines defence co-operation between the countries.

Pakistan was also granted with "non-NATO Ally" but also with drones, the attacks on its sovereignty and killing its innocents women and children and Pakistan was also granted the "Salala Incident" in November 2011. So now Afghanistan has granted with the status. Lets wait to see what Afghanistan is granted with after the "blessed" status. How many more they kill innocent Afghans and when they will burn again the souls of Muslims burning the hoy book AL-Quran.

Tens of billions of dollars have poured into Afghanistan since the US-led invasion that toppled the Taliban in late 2001, but graft is rife from local police to high officials, and patience among donor countries is wearing thin.

After more than 30 years of war, the Afghan economy is weak and the country cannot survive without foreign aid. According to the World Bank, spending on defence and development by donors accounted for more than 95 per cent of GDP in 2010-11.

Afghanistan needs true rehabilitation, the safety of humane right rights, social sector development, strong relations with neighbours and needs to give a chance to Taliban to become a part of the new government. But America has interest in double speak and double face policy. They one side strengthen India and the other side ask Pakistan "Do more"

Comments