India a world power: Rocca

The huge disparity in American aid given to India and Pakistan is due to the fact that India is a 8216;8216;growing world power8217;146...

The huge disparity in American aid given to India and Pakistan is due to the fact that India is a 8216;8216;growing world power8217;8217; and aid-giver to countries like Iraq and Afghanistan, while Pakistan is a frontline country in the war against terror, Assistant Secretary of State for South Asia Christina Rocca has said.

The US is also aiding Pakistan in the social sector and with education reform, said Rocca, explaining the enormous disparity of 700 million in aid for Pakistan and 85 million for India to a hearing of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee yesterday. The disparity in aid was brought forth by Acting Chairman of the Committee Senator Lincoln Chaffee.

8216;8216;What jumps out of me is India, if I have this right 8212; 85 million compared to 700 million for Pakistan. How, as we carry forth our diplomacy between these two neighbours, is the dynamics of confronting the disparity in foreign aid?,8217;8217; he asked.

Rocca responded: 8216;8216;Our relationship with India is different8230; Than that with Pakistan. Pakistan is a frontline country in the war on terror, and a lot of the assistance that we are talking about providing Pakistan is related directly to that issue.8217;8217; 8216;8216;India is one with a growing world power,8217;8217; she added. 8216;8216;Our assistance to India is focused on helping them deal with not only the remaining poverty, but also with some of the economic problems. So we are providing technical assistance.8217;8217;

Testifying before the same committee, Acting Assistant USAID Administration Gordon West said in India, 8216;8216;We actually see almost two countries, with the South being almost a developed country8230;, and the capacity of the government and the many states to manage its own affairs really puts it in a category where it increasingly is able to manage its own affairs. There are many policy decisions, strategic decisions that India must make. We are an active partner in many of those discussions. But increasingly India is seen as a country expected to manage its own domestic affairs.8217;8217;

Asked by Chaffee if it was a good policy to direct much military aid to Pakistan as opposed to economic aid, Rocca said the military assistance US was providing 8216;8216;is assistance that directly helps us fight8217;8217; the war on terrorism, 8216;8216;we also want to be able to get to the root causes of extremism that exists in that region.8217;8217; 8212; Reuters