Pak asks US to pay $1.6 bn for fighting terror

New York: Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari has urged the US to reimburse the $1.6 billion spent on fighting extremism in his country's tribal areas.

Zardari made the demand during two separate meetings in New York with US officials, including special Af-Pak envoy Richard Holbrooke, DawnNews reported.

The US pays Pakistan for the anti-militant operations from a special account called the Coalition Support Fund. Pakistan has not been paid for more than a year.

Zardari also called for an early realisation of about $6 billion pledged to Pakistan at a Tokyo donors’ conference early this year to help the country overcome its economic crisis.

He also sought early adoption of the Kerry-Lugar Bill that will bring in $1.5 billion annually for five years.

On Monday, the US Congress approved aid of $2.376 billion for Pakistan. The amount is meant for fiscal 2008-09.

Separately, the US government has also presented to Congress a $2.282 billion aid bill for Pakistan for fiscal 2009-10 for providing both military and non-military assistance.