WASHINGTON, Jan 31 (APP): Progress on a landmark bipartisan legislative measure on singificantly expanding U.S. economic assistance for Pakistan is on track and it is expected to be taken up and passed by the United States Congress shortly, Islamabad’s envoy in Washington said Saturday.

“The legislation (commonly known as Biden-Lugar Act) is no track and likely to be taken up soon --- we are very optimistic about its passage based on assurances given by Congressional leaders,” Ambassador Husain Haqqani said.

Meanwhile Congressional and diplomatic sources told APP that the 111^th U.S. Congress is also likely to introduce another vital legislation on allowing Reconstruction Opportunity Zones in its spring session.    

According to diplomatic sources reports in a section of the Press about the Biden-Lugar measure having no chances of passage in the current year and the bill being dead are contrary to the facts of U.S. legislative process and give an “erroneous impression”.

The 110^th Congress could not complete the process of legislation and authorization of the Biden-Lugar proposal and the 111^th Congress is now expected to take it up, diplomatic sources said.

“Congressional leaders including Senator John Kerry, Chairman of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, and Congressman Howard Berman, Chairman of the House Foreign Affairs Committee are already looking at the draft of the bill,” Haqqani said.

Meanwhile, Karachi-born Congressman Chris Van Hollen, the sponsor of legislative measure that would allow the preferential trade ROZs program, would meet top Pakistani leaders in Islamabad in the next few days to discuss bilateral economic cooperation.

The legislation on tripling economic assistance for Pakistan to $ 1.5 billion annually for a decade was named after its architects “the then Democratic Senator and now Vice President Joseph Biden and Republican Richard Lugar “ enjoys bipartisan support on the Hill.

Senator John Kerry, who has replaced Joseph Biden as head of the Senate Foreign Relations Committee, last week argued strongly in favor of the landmark bill at a Congressional hearing as well as in a newspaper article. The measure is now more frequently called as “Enhanced Partnership with Pakistan Act.”

Top administration officials including Secretary of State Hillary Clinton and Defense Secretary Robert Gates also backed the measure at recent Congressional hearings.

Congressional leaders, meanwhile, praised the efforts of Pakistani diplomats for their dedication to vigorously pursuing progress on the two legislative initiatives, which are likely to form a major part of the U.S. economic cooperation with Pakistan under President Barack Obama.