US government has approved an aid of US$ 7.5 billion to Pakistan spread over a period of five years as a "down payment for future US security", an advance to us for fighting against the Talibans and Al-Qaeda.The US strategy makers have again failed to realise the fact that faith is not something physical that can be killed by weapons or force. The fight against a faith can only be won through education. Five years down the road the US administration will be back to square one when the bottomless pits of this region will be again asking for more of their taxpayer's money. Let the amount of US$ 7.5 billion be entirely directed towards the social development of the troubled areas and see how things improve five years down the road. Is anyone listening to the voices of sanity? -DR IRFAN ZAFAR, Islamabad, via e-mail, March 30.