Pledging sustained economic and security assistance for Pakistan, U.S. presidential envoy Richard Holbrooke Wednesday said Washington is working with the international community to help Islamabad address the urgent issue of internally displaced persons from the northwestern regions, where it is fighting Taliban militants. We are seeking to increase donations for urgent humanitarian needs and to begin a coordinated international dialogue on longer-term reconstruction. We anticipate that the Friends of Democratic Pakistan group, chaired by Pakistan and including key donors nations, will play a role, Holbrooke said. Testifying before the House Government Reform Committee, the special representative for the region said the Obama Administration responded quickly to the humanitarian crisis involving millions of internal reufgees from Swat and other valleys of Malakand Division. He also listed a number of initiatives the U.S. has taken to help Pakistan deal with the the refugees crisis. These included an initial $110 million assistance package, President Barack Obamas additional $200 million request to Congress for humanitarian relief and creation of an innovative program to spread awareness about the crisis and urgent needs. Secretary of State Hillary Clinton asked Americans to pick up their cell phones and text swat to 20222, to make a $5 donation to UNHCR that provides medicine, tents, food, and clothing to Pakistanis displaced by the fighting against militants in the northwest, he added. In addition, he said, the administration coordinated a fast U.S. response to a Pakistani request for additional Mi-17 helicopters and provided four Mi-17 helicopters so far, with plans to deliver more; The administration also coordinated demarches to the international donor community, with particular focus on the European Union and Persian Gulf states, to raise funds for Pakistans efforts to address the internal refugee crisis. Holbrooke also informed the lawmakers about his visit to Pakistan and the Gulf countries in the first week of June to offer more American support and see the situation on the ground, and to seek robust contributions from our partners in the Gulf. The U.S., he stated, is paying more attention and resources toward Pakistans economic and governance challenges. The President (Obama) has pledged his support for Congressional efforts to increase non-military assistance to Pakistan to $1.5 billion per year for five years. The Senate Foreign Relations Committees passage of S.962 on June 16, and the passage of H.R. 1886 which included important Reconstruction Opportunity Zone (ROZ) legislation on June 11 in the House demonstrate Congress support of our long-term commitment to helping the Pakistani people. He observed that successfully shutting down the Pakistani safe haven for extremists will require consistent and intensive strategic engagement with Pakistans civilian and military leadership. It is vital to strengthen our efforts to both develop and enable Pakistani security forces both the military and civilian law enforcement so they are capable of carrying out sustained counterinsurgency operations.