US paying Pakistan $100m monthly for logistics support: report
IRNA - Islamic Republic News Agency
Islamabad, March 22, IRNA - Pakistan receives almost $100 million per month, on account of logistics support, it provides to the US troops in the war against terrorism, reports said Monday. According to a half-yearly review report of the Asian Development Bank (ADB), the logistics support payments increased by 83.3 percent during July-December 2003 to total $581 million or about $97 million a month. Pakistan and the United States signed an acquisition and cross servicing agreement (ACSA) in early 2002 to facilitate reciprocal provision of logistics support and services between the two armed forces, to be used primarily during combined exercising, training, deployments, operations or other cooperative efforts. Items permitted under the ACSA include food, water, transportation, POL, communications and medical services and also covers use of facilities, training services, repairs and maintenance etc, said the Manilla-based bank. In addition to normal billing of fuel, water and communication charges, the government also charges for the facilities, like airbases, storages etc., it offered to US forces in the region. The agreement was mainly concluded to formalize the arrangement of logistical support offered to the US forces in Afghanistan. Pakistan furnishes monthly bills to the United States in this regard, and the United States pays these charges out of its defence allocations. The billing varies depending on the usage and consumption pattern in a given month, according to the report. Initially, the government hoped a payment of around $60-75 million a month, but recent upsurge indicates heightened activity of the US troops in the region. Last year, a report of the US Central Command detailed this logistical support in the operation enduring freedom (OEF), saying Pakistan provided five air bases/airfields, and emergency landing rights for planes anywhere in Pakistan. On the average 0.4 million liters of fuel per day was provided to the US forces as well as all other services on the bases used by them. "A total of 57,800 sorties have been generated from Pakistan`s air space/soil," the CENTCOM said. In order to facilitate launching of air operations into Afghanistan, Pakistan provided 2/3 of its air space as air corridor to the US/coalition forces. By so doing, Pakistan had to reschedule/redirect many of the commercial flights. The Pakistan Navy also provided landing facility to the US/coalition ships at Pasni. At sea, Pakistan Navy operations/training were curtailed in order to accommodate and facilitate the operations of US/coalition naval forces. The Naval Operations at Pasni were the largest operations in size, duration and depth that the US Marine Corps had conducted since the Korean War. Pakistan also apprehended more than 550 most wanted men in the US-led war against terrorism, including the most wanted al-Qaeda figures, Khalid Sheikh Muhammad, Abu-Zubaida and Ramzi bin Al-Shaiba. Pakistan has also launched a massive operation in the Federally Administered Tribal Areas (FATA). Pakistani forces with the help of FC penetrated the tribal areas soon after the first US strikes in the Tora Bora valley in Afghanistan just across the border, particularly focusing on Waziristan, Miran Shah and Wana. The CENTCOM report also estimated a loss of over $10 billion since October 2001 to Pakistan due to its support to the OEF. The United States offered Pakistan compensation in the shape of direct grants and debt write-offs, and support in the shape of debt rescheduling agreement and new concessional multilateral loans. TK/TSH/216 End
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