Washington: India will get a meagre $ 95 million in foreign aid from the United States compared to a whopping over $ 700 million for Pakistan of which $ 300 million is for military assistance.

The provisions have been made in the $ 19.4 billion foreign aid bill passed by the US House of Representatives yesterday (July 15, 2004) by 270 to 132 votes.

Economic aid to Pakistan was supposed to be $ 300 million -- the same amount as for military aid -- but, with additions from various heads, it comes to more than $ 400 million, taking the total for the next financial year to over 700 million.

This is the first instalment of the $ three billion for five years promised by President George W Bush to his Pakistani counterpart Pervez Musharraf for his cooperation against the al-Qaeda and Taliban and his promise to introduce democracy in due course.

The House also added provisions to the measure trimming aid to Saudi Arabia and penalising countries that would hand over Americans to a permanent international court for war crimes.

The Bush Administration has already made it clear that it does not recognise the jurisdiction of that court over Americans though it was one of the sponsors of the court originally. Congress has made it clear that Americans are governed by laws passed by the Congress and not by some foreign court even if it is called international.