New York: With the US Senate passing a landmark bill to triple the non-military aid to Pakistan, President Asif Ali Zardari today said a stable and prosperous Pakistan is the world`s greatest hope against the spread of terrorism.
"A stable, prosperous Pakistan is the world`s greatest hope against the spread of extremism and terrorism," he said during a meeting of Friends of Democratic Pakistan group here.
In the meeting, co-chaired by US President Barack Obama and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown, the Pakistan President reiterated Islamabad`s commitment to fight extremism and promote democracy.
"We have fought extremists successfully in our Swat Valley. It is a victory not just for Pakistan, but democracies all over the world," he said.
Zardari said economic strength will lead Pakistan to its political stability.
During the meeting, Obama announced that US Senate has unanimously passed the revised version of the Kerry-Lugar bill which triples non-military aid to Pakistan to USD 1.5 billion per annum.
The Friends of Democratic Pakistan Group aims to support economic social development in Pakistan as a means to stabilise the nuclear-armed country.
The member states of FODP, which include Australia, Canada, China, France, Germany, Italy, Turkey, UAE, UK and USA, congratulated Pakistan on a "successful transition to democracy."
Bureau Report
