Reports emanating from London seem to indicate that the UK is taking an aggressive role in trying to create conditions for an expeditious withdrawal from Afghanistan. This week, the UK and the US got together to pledge about $5 billion for the uplift of the areas afflicted by the war on terror. To call this paltry sum a “Marshall Plan” is the height of duplicity–but it may a good start.

• Pakistan hopes to gain a three year deal on duty and quota free exports to the EU
• Pakistan hopes for a Free Trade Agreement with Europe
• Pakistan officials want the EU to target its aid packages to improve conditions in conflict-scarred areas of the country
• Reversing Anti-Americanism in Pakistan: Parity, Nuclear Plants
• Britain and US back ‘Marshall Plan’ for Pakistan
• Britain, the US and Western allies met in Istanbul yesterday to draft a $5 billion “Marshall Plan for Pakistan” to help rebuild the swaths of the country destroyed in its war against terrorism.
• They also plan to draft support from some of the world’s best project managers and policy experts to improve health, education and the delivery of speedy justice in some of the country’s most remote areas.
• There are some positive indications that the US wants to help in a big way in LNG (liquefied natural gas) sector.
• Another indication is that the US administration is going to table the energy bill amounting to $1 billion for Pakistan in US Congress, said the official.
• Pakistan received nothing so far from US $125 million announced by Hillary Clinton during her visit to Pakistan in October 2009 to bail out the country from power crisis on a short-term basis.
• “Since then we have received nothing for the overhaul of the Terbela dams’ turbines, four electric power generation companies (Gencos) and 11000 tube wells motors,” a senior official at the ministry of water and power told The News.
• Pakistan would seek increase in demographic coverage of the RoZs and changes in rules of origin also.
• In the already proposed draft, US wants the establishment of RoZs at Waziristan, FATA and border areas with Afghanistan.
• Since the war against militants is under way in these areas and no one knows how long it will continue, so Islamabad has decided to include other parts of the country for the setting up of RoZs

Damien McElroy of the UK Telegraph describes the fact that the UK will help facilitate a better deal for Pakistan in the EU.

The UK Officials said that Pakistan was struggling to cope with the cost of fighting alongside the West against the Taliban while billion pound aid packages “were not having an impact”.

Its diplomats have sought British support as the country targets three key concessions from EU leaders at the meeting in April.

Pakistan hopes to gain a three year deal on duty and quota free exports to the EU, a status that was granted to Pakistan in 2002 but expired in 2005. The concession would boost the country’s all important cotton industry – the largest employer – and was estimated to be worth $10 billion (£6 billion) a year when it was last extended.

In the long-run Pakistan hopes for a Free Trade Agreement with Europe. Officials want the summit to set a start date for negotiations. Pakistan is the only country in South Asia that does not have free trade agreeement with the world’s biggest trading bloc and claims its exporters suffer disproportionately as a result.

Lastly Pakistan officials want the EU to target its aid packages to improve conditions in conflict-scarred areas of the country.

• Reversing Anti-Americanism in Pakistan: Parity, Nuclear Plants
• US Pakistani strategic partnership?–Here is a list

Douglas Alexander, the International Development secretary, acknowleged this month that aid should be better targetted to support reconstruction in the frontier provinces next to Afghanistan where the army has waged an offensive against Taliban infiltration. Mr Alexander said Britain would provide £20 million for short term support for displaced people, construction of temporary schools and quick impact projects such as rebuilding bridges.

European assistance to Pakistan is however dwarfed by American spending in the region. Richard Holbrooke, Washington’s envoy to Afghanistan and Pakistan last week signalled a “major intensification” of its support for Pakistan by launching a $1.5 billion five year plan to improve conditions in Pakistan.

He said: “The United States is supporting Pakistan as it seeks to strengthen democratic institutions, as it seeks to foster more economic development, expand opportunities, deal with its energy and water problems, and defeat the extremist groups who threaten both Pakistan’s security and stability in the larger region, and American national security as well.

• Kerry-Lugar Peanuts: 50% of US Aid fills pockets of US consultants
• The resilience of Pakistan and the nation’s continuing collective refusal to do what the west would like it to do
• The pugnacious Pakistanis

“We do not think that the money is moving as fast as we’d like it to.” Pakistan looks to British diplomatic help for EU free trade deal

Pakistan is to appeal for free trade access to Europe during a landmark summit with EU leaders next month as the key Western ally steps up its demands for more support for its war-ravaged economy by Damien McElroy, Foreign Affairs Correspondent, Published: 4:48PM GMT 21 Mar 2010

The UK seems to be in a listen mode and may be able to influence the EU in a big way. Pakistan is the only country with which the EU does not have a Free Trade Pack. This has to be rectified and fixed quickly on an expeditious basis. The strategic dialogue between the US and Pakistan may yielded some tangible result in the long run–but the EU initiative may allow Islamabad some immediate results. The 3 year “facility” is ridiculous, and subject to the vagaries of the mobs and the obliquity of the mobs.

“We would tell the US authorities to help boost Pakistan’s GDP growth to between 6 to 8 per cent per year to help create 36 million jobs during the next 10 years, as the existing 3 to 3.5 per cent GDP growth will continue to raise resultantly the youth would have more tendency to play in the hands of the militants and extremists and this would not help restore peace and tranquillity on durable basis in the region which would ultimately shake up the peace of the whole world,” a senior official of Ministry of Foreign Affairs revealed to The News.