WASHINGTON, March 27 (UPI) -- As U.S. President Barack Obama announced a plan tripling non-military aid to Pakistan, officials point out accountability problems of the past.
Obama called on Congress Friday to authorize $1.5 billion in direct support to Pakistan every year over the next five years "to help build schools and roads and hospitals and strengthen Pakistan's democracy."
In promoting working together, he said, "Security demands a new sense of shared responsibility."
Government reports mention problems with lack of transparency and accountability in previous U.S. military and development aid to Pakistan, USA Today said.
"You can't succeed in Afghanistan if you don't solve the problem of western Pakistan," Richard Holbrooke, U.S. special representative to the region, said earlier in the week, referring to the impoverished, mountainous region on the Afghan border where Taliban militants operate with impunity.
A Congressional Research Service report published in November questioned whether the United States could effectively deliver aid in the border areas because of widespread corruption and poor security.
