Basketball Forum

The United States embassy in Islamabad is being expanded to meet the future challenges without induction of 1,000 U.S. Marines, a senior U.S. diplomat said Wednesday.

Deputy Chief of U.S. Mission in Islamabad Gerald M. Feierstein said that upcoming large-scale programs needed more staff, but categorically rejected the induction of 1,000 U.S. Marines in this strength, the official APP news agency reported.

Feierstein said about 20 U.S. Marines are in Pakistan to fulfill security responsibilities of the embassy and other installations and there will be marginal increase in their strength after the expansion in embassy staff.

He said due to increase in aid to Pakistan under Kerry-Lugar Bill which will be 1.5 billion U.S. dollars per year U.S. embassy needs more staff and personnel to deal with the increasing work in this regard.

Feierstein said there are about 250 American personnel assigned different duties in Pakistan while over 1,000 Pakistani staff working here.

About speculation in the increase of U.S. Marines in Pakistan, he said, every U.S. coming to Pakistan came after permission from Pakistan government as they came here on visas. He said the figures published in the press about U.S. Marines was wrong and baseless as it is not true.

He said that “any adjustment in the number of present U.S. Marines will be minor and they will be responsible for the security of embassy and classified material.”

He said the embassy is also looking for new sites for its consulates at southern Pakistani city of Karachi and northwest city of Peshawar. The State Department has approved one billion U.S. dollars for the new embassy building in Islamabad, he added.

The government has not received any formal request from the U.S. for any massive increase the strength of marines to secure premises of its embassy in Islamabad where currently around 20 marines are deployed, local media The News citing diplomatic sources.

Michael Phelps picked up his fifth gold medal on the final day of the Rome world swimming championships as the United States won the men’s 4×100m medley relay in a world record time.

The American quartet of Aaron Peirsol, Eric Shanteau, Phelps and David Walters broke the old standard of 3:30.68 set by the United States in winning Olympic gold in Beijing.

Germany finished second in 3:28.58 with Australia third in 3:28.64.

Big day for Phelps’ teammate Ryan Lochte too, as he completed the individual medley double by winning the men’s 400m that gave him the fourth gold.

Lochte clocked four minutes 07.01 seconds, beating his teammate Tyler Clary and Laszlo Cseh of Hungary.

Britain’s Liam Tancock bettered his own world record to win the men’s 50m backstroke final.

Tancock clocked 24.04 seconds with Japan’s Junya Koga finishing second and South Africa’s Gerhard Zandberg third.

Russia’s Yuliya Efimova won the women’s 50m breaststroke title in a world record time of 30.09 seconds, shattering the previous mark of 30.23 set by Canadian Amanda Reason on July 8 in Montreal.

Germany’s Britta Steffen claimed the 50m freestyle gold in 23.73 seconds.

Steffen broke the previous world record of 23.96 set by Marleen Veldhuis of the Netherlands in Amsterdam on April 19.

Olympic champion Oussama Mellouli of Tunisia won the men’s 1,500 meters freestyle with a clocking of 14 minutes 37.28.

Canada’s Ryan Cochrane finished second and China’s Sun Yang was third.

Hungarian Katinka Hosszu triumphed in the women’s 400m individual medley final in four minutes 30.31 seconds, beating Zimbabwe’s Kirsty Coventry and Olympic champion Stephanie Rice.