Cameron offers £950-mn aid to fund schools in Pakistan
06 Apr 2011
According to political observers, British prime minister, David Cameron is taking a calculated and expensive diplomatic gamble with his promised £950 million aid to fund four million schools and 8,000 teachers in Pakistan.
The aid comes on the assumption of education being the best antidote to terror. With this largesse Pakistan has now become the largest beneficiary of UK aid.
The British prime minister also seems to be keen to rope in the Pakistani security services in helping Britain make an exit from Afghanistan on hopes of preventing the export of terrorism to Britain.
According to intelligence agencies, around half of the terrorist plots against Britain originate in the lawless north-west frontier regions of Pakistan.
Cameron said the justification of the move domestically hinged on Pakistani elite's willingness to pay more taxes. He added in a speech, that Pakistan suffered from "weaknesses in terms of government capacity and waste".
However, he revealed a new willingness to work with Pakistani intelligence agencies for securing a settlement in Afghanistan before Britain leaves the country in 2015.
