Concerned US demands 'maximum accountability' from Pak over aid package - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Worried over speculations that the massive 7.5 billion dollar aid to Pakistan may be misdirected, the Obama administration has assured the congressional committees that it would demand 'maximum accountability' from Islamabad to ensure that the funds do not end up in extremists' lap. In a report sent by the State Department to congressional committees said the administration has outlined its priorities for the aid, including water, agriculture and electricity projects, and laid out a strategy to prevent corruption and misuse of the money. "The Secretary (of State) will suspend any government to government assistance to any implementing agency if there is credible evidence of misuse of funds by such agency," the report, which was obtained by a foreign news agency, said. The aid is seen as a major tool of President Obama, who has described Pakistan as a terror hot bed, to destroy and dismantle the terror network in the region. The US aid, which were used to be channelled through American humanitarian agencies and contractors earlier, would now be funnelled via national and provincial governments in Pakistan as well as domestic groups. "To provide maximum accountability and oversight, a bilateral agreement between the U.S. and Pakistan must be in place detailing the conditions for disbursement of funds and detailed monitoring and reporting requirements, before any government to government assistance is provided," the State Department's report added.