Biden visited Pakistan in 2008, 2011

LAHORE: Due to turn 78 on November 20, favourite American Presidential candidate, Joseph Robinette Biden, last visited Pakistan on January 12, 2011, as his country’s Vice President and had spent a very busy day in Islamabad on a rather hastily scheduled visit after his trip to Kabul.

This unscheduled visit was to reassure Pakistan of America’s long-term commitment to it and to express its concern on Punjab Governor Salmaan Taseer’s murder and the public reaction of supporting the PPP leader’s killer Mumtaz Qadri. The “CNN” had reported: “During his trip, the vice president met Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari and Prime Minister Yusuf Raza Gilani.

The leaders will focus on their efforts in combating terrorism and how the two countries can work toward peace and stability in the region, a White House official said. Biden arrived from an unannounced trip to Afghanistan, where he assured President Hamid Karzai that the United States would remain in Afghanistan beyond the 2014 handover deadline if the Afghans wants it to stay.”The prestigious American media house had stated: “Senior U.S. officials later explained that Biden was talking about the "enduring partnership" that Obama has spoken of, promising to maintain ongoing cooperation with the Afghan military beyond 2014 -- not only on civilian issues such as governance and economic development, but also on security, including training of the Afghan army and policy, and counterterrorism training.

”Earlier, in February 2008, Biden was a member of the three-senator delegation that had toured Pakistan to observe the parliamentary elections held on February 18. Biden was then the Chairman of the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations.In a joint statement, the senators adjudged the elections to be free and Biden had called for an expanded US package for Pakistan that would shift the focus from military to economic aid. In October 2008, Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari had announced government awards for US Democratic vice presidential nominee Joe Biden and Republican Senator, Richard Lugar. Zardari had awarded them the `Hilal-i-Pakistan` (Crescent of Pakistan) in recognition of their consistent support for Pakistan.

Biden and Lugar had introduced a bipartisan US aid plan in July 2008, which had called for $1.5 billion per year in non-military spending to support economic development in Pakistan.