U.S. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton unveiled July 19 approximately USD500 million worth of U.S. aid projects in Pakistan.
The projects are part of the USD7.5 billion Pakistan aid law, which, as Devex reported, was approved in October 2009 by U.S. President Barack Obama.
The aid will fund the construction and renovation of hospitals in southern and central Pakistan as well as the completion of two hydroelectric dam projects designed to help address Pakistan’s chronic electricity problem, the Associated Press says. The unveiled initiatives also include a project to improve the access of Pakistanis to clean drinking water.
The USD500 million aid is the latest of the U.S.’s efforts to gain the trust of Pakistanis and enlist their assistance in the fight against the Taliban, AP noted.
Clinton, who is visiting Pakistan, acknowledged the doubts over the U.S.’s involvement in the Asian country.
“Of course there is a legacy of suspicion that we inherited. It is not going to be eliminated overnight,” the secretary said in Islamabad. “It is however our goal to slowly but surely demonstrate that the United States is concerned about Pakistan for the long term and that our partnership goes far beyond security against our common enemies.”
