US Senate takes up aid to Pakistan bill

The bill proposes to give Pakistan $7.5 billion over five years 

$1.5 billion a year —and an additional $7.5 billion

 over the following five years

The US Congress made a friendly gesture to President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday,  introducing a bill to triple American aid to Pakistan on the day he arrives in the US capital on a four-day visit.Two influential senators – Democrat John Kerry and Republican Richard Lugar – introduced the Pakistan Enduring Assistance and Cooperation Enhancement or the PEACE Act of 2009, in the Senate on Monday afternoon after a long delay.‘The legislation intents to help transform the relationship between the US and Pakistan from a transactional, tactically-driven set of short-term exercises in crisis-management, into a deeper, broader, long-term strategic engagement,’ said a statement issued by the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.The bill, first introduced in the 110th Congress, proposes to give Pakistan $7.5 billion over five years —$1.5 billion a year —and an additional $7.5 billion over the following five years.Senator Kerry, the 2004 presidential candidate who now chairs the Senate committee, is a strong supporter of US economic assistance to Pakistan.