US says corruption in Pak flood aid distribution 'will not be tolerated' - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Concerned over the misuse of flood donations by Pakistani authorities, the United States has said that it would not tolerate corruption in the distribution of aid and relief in the flood-hit country. Speaking to media persons during a regular briefing here, State Department spokesman Philip J Crowley said the Obama administration wants the aid meant for the Pakistani flood victims to reach them directly. "We will not tolerate corruption. The assistance that we are providing is for the people of Pakistan . We want to see this assistance get directly to the people of Pakistan ," The Nation quoted Crowley , as saying. "In terms of assistance, there is all kind of assistance. Some of it is direct support through our military stocks directly to the Pakistani people. In some cases, it's through non-governmental organisations," he added. Responding to a question regarding the terror threat facing Pakistan and Washington 's expectations from it, Crowley said that while Islamabad has taken some steps to counter the threat posed by militants, it still needs to do more to quell the danger of being overtaken by the extremists. "We do have expectations that Pakistan will deal with the threat inside its borders which is a threat to Pakistan itself as well as being a threat to the US . We do expect Pakistan to reform its government system. It does need to increase its tax revenue. Pakistan has taken some steps in that direction. It clearly needs to do more," Crowley said. "Over time, Pakistan is going to need to stand on its two feet. We are willing to help them along that journey, but definitely as we provide help, there are clearly things that we expect Pakistan to do for itself," the spokesperson added. Acknowledging the existence of distrust between the two countries, Crowley said both the nations were working to bridge the gap while describing the process as a 'two way street'. "As the Secretary (of State, Hillary Clinton) said last October, Pakistanis have questions of the United States , we have questions of Pakistan , but we are working to build the kind of long-term strategic partnership that we think benefits both countries," he said.