The US has provided funds to Pakistan to complete construction of
two hydroelectric dam projects in the country, a media report said
Saturday.
The US assistance is being provided to Satpara hydroelectric
dam project in Gilgit-Baltistan region and Gomal Zam hydroelectric dam
in South Waziristan, the Dawn newspaper reported quoting the US State
Department.
'We are considering doing more in the sector,' said the department's spokesperson Victoria Nuland.
There
were also reports that the US would support the $12 billion
Diamer-Bhasha dam project on the Indus river in the Gilgit-Baltistan
region.
Nuland said Pakistan had requested the international community's support for the project.
'We
recognise that such a hydroelectric project would help meet many of
Pakistan's long-term energy and water needs, as well as advance social
and economic development,' she said.
'We are considering how we
can best support Pakistan's request, as are other bilateral donors and
multilateral financial institutions.'
The US, she said, has not
yet made a final decision on this project. If the US supports the
project, it will be the largest civilian aid from the US to Pakistan in
decades.
Asked if the US was concerned if support to these
projects would affect its ties with India, Nuland said the US had long
supported development projects that enhance the daily lives of people
throughout the region. 'In doing so, we always take into account a
project's potential regional impact,' she added. IANS
