WASHINGTON, Nov 25: Four US governors and more than a dozen congressmen will be visiting Pakistan during the next two weeks to express solidarity with the victims of the earthquake, officials said.
The earthquake has generated a wave of sympathy in the US, particularly among the lawmakers who are urging the Bush administration to increase its contribution to the quake fund to $1 billion.
At last week’s donors’ conference in Islamabad the US increased its initial contribution from $180 million to $510 million. Governors of the states of Michigan, Texas, Mississippi, and Georgia, who are currently visiting US troops in Iraq, are expected to arrive in Islamabad on Saturday, a State Department official told Dawn.
The largest congressional delegation of more than half a dozen lawmakers is expected to begin its three-day tour of the quake-affected areas from Nov 30.
This delegation will be led by Congresswoman Sheila Jackson Lee, co-chair of the Pakistan Caucus on Capitol Hill. The Democratic lawmaker from Texas is playing a key role in raising awareness about devastations caused by the earthquake, regularly attending fundraisers and speaking at various gatherings.
Congressman Dan Burton, the other member of the group, is one of Pakistan’s most reliable supporters on the Hill. A Republican from Indiana, Mr Burton strongly advocates a close relationship between Pakistan and the US.
Other members of the group include Congresswoman Loretta Sanchez, a California Democrat and Barbara Lynn Cubin, a Republican from Wyoming.
Two of the four governors scheduled to arrive in Pakistan on Saturday — Haley Barbour of Mississippi and Sonny Perdue of Georgia –- are Republicans. Governors Kathleen Sebelius of Kansas and Jennifer Granholm of Michigan are Democrats.
The inclusion of two Republican and two Democratic governors in the delegation shows that there’s a bipartisan support in the US for helping the quake victims.
The governors met US Defence Secretary Donald H. Rumsfeld, Secretary of State Condoleezza Rice, and General Peter Pace, Chairman of the Joint Chiefs of Staff in Washington on Tuesday before leaving for the visit that takes them to Kuwait, Iraq and Pakistan.
Congressman Jim Colby, a Republican from Arizona, is also expected to arrive in Pakistan on Saturday.
