Islamabad, September 26, 2014– U.S. Ambassador Richard Olson and Pakistan Economic Affairs Division Secretary Muhammad Saleem Sethi signed a bilateral assistance agreement under which the U.S. Department of State’s International Narcotics and Law Enforcement Affairs Bureau will provide $41.8 million to support the Government of Pakistan in building its law enforcement capability, fighting illicit narcotics, and reforming its criminal justice system.
“Today is another milestone in the longstanding partnership between the United States and Pakistan,” Ambassador Olson said. “We commend Pakistan for 32 years of work to eradicate poppy production and for the progress it has made in stemming the transit of narcotics.” Ambassador Olson noted the United States signed the first such bilateral assistance agreement in 1982, and today’s signing demonstrates the ongoing U.S. commitment to support Pakistan’s efforts to halt the production and flow of illicit narcotics.
The agreement will allow for the continuation of programs throughout Pakistan that improve the operational capability and reach of provincial police and other law enforcement institutions through training, equipment, and infrastructure support. It will also 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 and hydro-electric systems to farms in Khyber-Pakhtunkhwa province and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas. Finally, it will promote the rule of law by providing training to provincial and federal prosecutors in effective trial advocacy and to corrections officials in modern prison administration.
