Aid from US: India to get $95 mn, Pak $700 mn

Economic aid to Pakistan was supposed to be $300 mn — the same amount as for military aid — but, with additions from various heads, it comes to more than $400 mn, taking the total for the next financial year to over $700 mn.

This is the first installment of the $3 bn for five years promised by President George W. Bush to his Pakistani counterpart General Pervez Musharraf for his cooperation against Al Qaeda and Taliban and his promise to introduce democracy.

The House also added provisions to the measure trimming aid to Saudi Arabia and penalising countries that would hand over Americans to a permanent international court for war crimes. The Bush administration has already made it clear that it does not recognise the jurisdiction of that court over Americans though it was one of the sponsors of the court originally.