Pakistan Does Not Wish to be Aid-dependent; Seeks Trade: Ambassador Haqqani (Associated Press of Pakistan)
CGD's new report about U.S. Aid to Pakistan was mentioned in the Associated Press of Pakistan.
From the Article
Pakistan has no desire to depend on foreign assistance forever but seeks greater trade for its sustainable development and U.S. providing easy access for the country’s products would both spur economic progress and serve common security interests, Islamabad’s envoy to the United States said.Ambassador Husain Haqqani also asked Pakistan’s critics not to confine their discourse to aid results but view the important U.S.Pakistan relationship in a holisitc perspective.“If the United States opens its market for Pakistan more, it would be a much better way of helping Pakistan,” Haqqani stated, explaining that job creation through greater economic activity would foil extremists’ designs to exploit the unemployed youth.
U.S. assistance should be seen part of a broader partnership , he argued,addressing a gathering of experts at the launch of a report “Beyond Bullets and Bombs: Fixing the U.S. Approach to Development in Pakistan” which was released by Center for Global Development on Wednesday.
He said change in Pakistan will come from within. The Pakistani diplomat noted that an aid-centered approach creates political problems.
“The role of aid should be that of catalyst for us to accomplish that change on our own --- aid it is not going to be the main basis on which Pakistan will find prosperity our prosperity will come from Pakistanis unleashing their potential in trade, opening up of Pakistan to investment and making it possible for our neighboring countries to trade with us,” he remarked.