WASHINGTON: President Asif Ali Zardari on Monday asked for urgent international assistance to his country, arguing the world should rally in support of Pakistani democracy.

‘We need immediate assistance,’ Zardari wrote in an op-ed piece in the Washington Post.

He noted that the administration of US President Barack Obama recognised that only an economically viable Pakistan could contain the threat of terrorism and the United States had committed 1.5 billion dollars a year for five years to help stabilise the Pakistani economy.

‘Now, the rest of the world must step up and match the US effort,’ Zardari wrote.

‘Pakistan needs a robust assistance package so that we can deliver for the people and defeat the militants.’

He also called for international assistance in helping Pakistan deal with the millions of people displaced by a conflict in the northwest of the country.

Last week, Zardari secured a pledge from the European Union to help Pakistan in improving the plight of hundreds of thousands of families displaced by a government offensive on the Taliban. — Reuters