18 April,2009 12:01 PM IST | | Agencies
World donors must keep supporting Pakistan as it battles militants and tries to repair its economy, US special envoy Richard Holbrooke said today, one day after Islamabad secured more than $5 billion in fresh aid.
Donors including the United States, Japan, Europe, Saudi Arabia and Iran pledged more than $5 billion in fresh aid over two years at the conference in Tokyo after President Asif Ali Zardari vowed to step up the fight against militants.
The pledges, bigger than an expected $4 billion, reflect the international community's worries that an economic meltdown in nuclear-armed Pakistan, propped up with a $7.6 billion loan from the International Monetary Fund over two years, could fan popular support for al Qaeda and other militant groups.
"Five billion dollars is not enough for Pakistan," Holbrooke told a news conference, noting Pakistan faced huge economic challenges as well. "The terrorists in western Pakistan are planning other attacks around the world," he added.
