Page:United States Statutes at Large Volume 123.djvu/2082

 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 .