[Geo News] Senators John F. Kerry and Richard Lugar introduced legislation today to put into effect key elements of President ObamaŽŽs new strategy in Pakistan and Afghanistan. The bill would triple US aid to PakistanŽŽs government to $1.5 billion a year -- and decouple it from military aid, which would be determined each year based on cooperation with the United States on fighting Al Qadea and the Taliban. The legislation would also require the president to submit a detailed strategy for assistance to Pakistan. Kerry, chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Lugar, a senior Republican on the panel, say that there needs to be an overhaul of the US-Pakistan relationship. ŽŽThe status quo is not working: the United States believes it is paying too much and getting too littleÂ--and most Pakistanis believe exactly the opposite,ŽŽ they said in a summary of the bill. ŽŽThe Kerry-Lugar approach towards Pakistan emphasizes a long-term relationship built on mutual trust and cooperation: only then will the people of Pakistan see the United States as an ally with shared interests and goals, such as defeating militant extremists that threaten the national security of both countries.ŽŽ