ISLAMABAD:(APP) The USA government will provide over $48.6 million to Pakistan for building law enforcement capability, fighting illicit narcotics and strengthening its criminal justice system.
In this regard the US Ambassador David Hale and Pakistan Economic Affairs Division Secretary Tariq Bajwa on Wednesday signed a one-year $48.6 million bilateral assistance agreement at a ceremony here, a press release of the U.S Embassy issued here said.
Under the agreement, the U.S. Department of State's International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau will provide support to the Government of Pakistan in these three sectors.
The United States signed the first such bilateral assistance agreement in 1982. Subsequent yearly agreements have supported the training of tens of thousands of police officers and prosecutors, construction of police stations, and provision of vehicles, equipment, and life-saving personal protective gear for law enforcement agents.
The new agreement will fund several programs throughout Pakistan including initiatives to improve the capability and reach of provincial police and other law enforcement institutions through training, equipment, and infrastructure support.
Programs will also support women's access to the justice system, as well as support the recruitment, retention, and advancement of women as police officers, prosecutors, and judges.
In addition, programs will help Pakistan interdict illegal narcotics, arrest and prosecute drug traffickers, fund crop substitution and agricultural training programs for poppy farmers, and provide small-scale irrigation, hydro-electric systems and farm- to-market roads in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas.
Lastly, it will promote rule of law by providing training to provincial and federal prosecutors and judges in effective trial advocacy, and to corrections officials in modern prison administration.
The Bureau of International Narcotics and Law Enforcement
Affairs works in more than 90 countries to help countries combat crime and corruption, counter drug-related crime, improve police institutions, and promote laws and court systems that are fair and accountable.