U.S. Pledges Millions to Musharraf

ISLAMABAD, Pakistan, March 15, 2007 — -- In a bid to stem the spread of Islamic militancy, the U.S. government today announced an aid program to help develop Pakistan's troubled tribal areas, presently believed to be a haven for Taliban and al Qaeda activity.

The U.S. plan calls for a $750 million aid package over the next five years for the development of the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, or FATA, which forms a land buffer between Pakistan and Afghanistan.

"This commitment to the development of Pakistan, this commitment to the long-term relationship, is another example of the very broad and deep relations that we have," said Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Richard Boucher at a press conference Thursday in the Pakistani capital of Islamabad.

Al Qaeda leaders Osama bin Laden and Ayman al-Zawahiri are believed to be hiding out somewhere along the 1,500-mile frontier between the two countries.

U.S. officials say the only way to combat widespread militancy in the tribal belt is by improving education, access to health care and creating jobs. USAID has already built more than 50 schools in the tribal areas, many of them for girls.

The Taliban has been accused of bombing several of these schools. At least one teacher has been killed and five schools targeted in the FATA.

The plan also calls for a $75 million restructuring of the Frontier Corps, a paramilitary force that guards the border. Boucher said he expected both programs to be easily approved by the U.S. Congress.

The announcement came amid a worsening political crisis for Pakistan President Pervez Musharraf who this week suspended the country's chief justice, sparking widespread protests. Musharraf accuses the judge of misconduct. Critics say the president, who is also commander in chief of the Pakistani army, feared the judiciary was about to move against his double grip on power.

Boucher told journalists that Washington wanted to see an independent judiciary in Pakistan, but nonetheless heaped praise on the embattled military leader.

He called Musharraf "a very strong ally in the war on terror," and said the aid package for FATA was a signal of America's enduring commitment to Pakistan.