The name of American diplomat Donald Lu has been circulating in the politics of Pakistan for a long time since 2022 and now people are talking about him once again after he requested aid of 10 million dollars for Pakistan.
Donald Lu is the US Assistant Secretary of State for South and Central Asia, and he made the request for increased aid before the US House of Representatives Committee on Foreign Affairs for Central and South Asia in fiscal year 2024-2025. He also presented the budget of 25 and answered the questions of the Congress members present in this regard.
On the occasion of his appearance in the committee of the US House of Representatives, Donald Lu said that we are focused on supporting democracy and human rights in Pakistan, and in this context, US President Joe Biden has requested 101 million dollars in aid.
US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu told the committee that the aid money will be given to Pakistan in the form of a loan for the war against terrorism and economic reforms, while this money will also help Pakistan stabilize its economy.
On one occasion, it was also said that the United States is concerned about the Islamic State of Khorasan group in Central Asia and Pakistan, and in this regard, this aid will help to reduce poverty in those countries. According to ‘extremism is a major reason.’
However, it is important to mention here that the focus of this budget approval meeting was not Pakistan but China’s growing influence in South and Central Asia. During the meeting, China’s policy in the region was described as ‘Debt Trap Diplomacy’ and concerns were expressed over China’s over-investment in Pakistan since 2012.
It should be noted that under the Pakistan-China Economic Corridor (CPEC) project, China has invested billions of dollars in various sectors in Pakistan.
At the beginning of last month, a delegation including Pakistan Prime Minister Shahbaz Sharif and Pakistan Army Chief General Asim Munir visited China before the federal budget. In this visit, among other assurances, China also talked to Pakistan about the security of its citizens.
The Payden administration requested $585.7 million for the region, a 4.8 percent increase over the previous fiscal year.
Commenting on Pakistan’s economic ties with China, he said the US was trying to curb Islamabad’s “excessive dependence” on Beijing.
US Assistant Secretary Donald Lu said that in terms of investment in Pakistan, China is the past and we are the future.
It should be noted that last month the US House of Representatives overwhelmingly passed a resolution expressing concern over the situation of democracy and human rights in Pakistan.
However, by expressing a strong reaction on the part of the Pakistani government, all fears were dismissed as baseless, and a resolution was also passed by the National Assembly rejecting the American resolution.
The purpose of US aid is to achieve strategic balance in Pakistan.
Michael Kugelman also said that the US is a realistic country and knows that it cannot replace China in Pakistan, but it is still offering to invest there and trying to show that it wants transparency. It is based on principles that cannot be obtained from Chinese projects.