Indo-Pak peace will help calm extremism in S Asia

"We have sought to foster reconciliation between India and Pakistan," told US Assistant Secre-tary of State Christina Rocca at the House International Relations Committee.

She said peace, if it can be achieved between these two long-time rivals, would do much to calm extremist impulses in the region.

Rooting for a long-term US commitment to Pakistan in its struggle against extremism, Rocca said President George W. Bush's requested USD 600 million-per-year aid for Islamabad was critical "to build a society in which extremism cannot flourish."

Bush, in June 2003, made a five-year commitment to Pakistan of USD 600 million per year, evenly divided between military and economic assistance.

Rocca, who is in charge of South Asian affairs in the State Depar-tment, noted Pakistan's "effective" operations against al-Qaeda operatives in the country as well as along the border with Afghanistan.

Observing that Pakistani action against terror operatives had provided valuable information of threats and plots against the US, she said counterterrorism efforts should be combined with sound policies to revive Pakistan's economy.

"The Paksitani economy will have to maintain its current growth rate for years if it is to reduce poverty significantly and give ordinary Pakistanis genuine hope for a better life," she said.

Rocca said that the 9/11 attacks on the World Trade Centre and the Pentagon set in motion events that completely transformed the US-Pakistan relationship.

"Without Pakistani help, our victory in Afghanistan would have been far more costly and difficult," she said.

Rocca said the US had sought to assure Pakistan that it is a reliable partner for the future.