123STA T . 2 06 2 PUBLIC LA W 111 –7 3 —O CT. 1 5, 200 9(2)Since 2 0 0 1,th e U nite d St a te s has c o nt r i bu ted m ore than $ 1 5 ,000,000,000 to P a k istan, o fw hich more than $10,000,000,000 has been securit y- re l ated assistance and direct p ayments . ( 3 ) W ith the free and fair election of F ebruary 1 8 , 2008, Pakistan returned to ci v ilian rule, reversin g years of political tension and mounting popular concern over military rule and Pakistan ’ s own democratic reform and political development. ( 4 ) Pakistan is a ma j or non- NATO ally of the United States and has been a valuable partner in the battle against al Q aeda and the Taliban, but much more remains to be accomplished by both nations. (5) The struggle against al Qaeda, the Taliban, and affili- ated terrorist groups has led to the deaths of several thousand Pakistani civilians and members of the security forces of Paki- stan over the past seven years. ( 6 ) D espite killing or capturing hundreds of al Qaeda operatives and other terrorists — including major al Qaeda leaders, such as K halid Sheikh M uhammad, R am z i bin al- Shibh, and Abu Faraj al- L ibi—the FATA, parts of the NWFP, Quetta in B alochistan, and Muridke in Punjab remain a sanc- tuary for al Qaeda, the Afghan Taliban, the Terikh-e Taliban and affiliated groups from which these groups organize terrorist actions against Pakistan and other countries. ( 7 ) The security forces of Pakistan have struggled to contain a Taliban-backed insurgency, recently taking direct action against those who threaten Pakistan’s security and stability, including military operations in the FATA and the NWFP. (8) On March 27, 200 9 , President Obama noted, ‘ ‘Multiple intelligence estimates have warned that al Qaeda is actively planning attacks on the United States homeland from its safe- haven in Pakistan.’’. (9) According to a G overnment Accountability Office report (GAO – 08–622), ‘‘since 2003, the [ A ] dministration’s national security strategies and C ongress have recognized that a com- prehensive plan that includes all elements of national power— diplomatic, military, intelligence, development assistance, eco- nomic, and law enforcement support—was needed to address the terrorist threat emanating from the FATA’’ and that such a strategy was also mandated by section 7102(b)(3) of the I ntelligence Reform and Terrorism Prevention Act of 2004 (Public Law 108–458
22 U.S.C. 2656f note) and section 2042(b)(2) of the Implementing the Recommendations of the 9 / 11 Commission Act of 2007 (Public Law 110–53; 22 U.S.C. 2375 note). (10) During 2008 and 2009, the people of Pakistan have been especially hard hit by rising food and commodity prices and severe energy shortages, with 2⁄3 of the population living on less than $2 a day and 1 ⁄ 5 of the population living below the poverty line according to the United Nations Development Program. (11) E conomic growth is a fundamental foundation for human security and national stability in Pakistan, a country with more than 175,000,000 people, an annual population growth rate of two percent, and a ranking of 136 out of 177 countries in the United Nations H uman Development Inde x .
