Britain is doubling its aid to Pakistan to almost £500 million, reflecting concern over rising Islamic militancy in the lawless areas along the border with Afghanistan.

About a third of the money is expected to be spent in provinces abutting the porous western border, where the Taleban and other militant forces are increasingly challenging the authority of the central Government.

Douglas Alexander, the International Development Secretary, yesterday announced the £480 million package that will make Pakistan the second-largest recipient of British aid by 2011. More than £250 million will be earmarked for education, with plans to get five million Pakistani children into school and to boost training opportunities for young people.

Much of the extra money will go on improving schools in the border areas, in an attempt to tackle poor literacy, particularly among girls, which lags far behind Pakistan’s already low rate of about 50 per cent. There are hopes that such programmes will help the Pakistani Government to counter the influence of the radical madrassas that have become seedbeds of Islamic militancy.

“You can’t have any real successful efforts to counter radicalism without education,” said Robert Templer, director of the Asia programme at the International Crisis Group. “It’s desperately needed. If this area isn’t dealt with, it’s going to be a festering problem for decades to come.”

It is the first time that significant funding will be channelled towards Baluchistan and the Federally Administered Tribal Areas, with a big increase also going to North West Frontier Province, areas that serve as a base for militants linked to the Taleban and al-Qaeda.

Thousands of Pakistani troops are currently engaged in fighting the insurgents responsible for cross-border attacks on Nato forces. Development work in these areas, considered unsafe for Western aid workers, is likely to pose a significant challenge. Hostility to outsiders has increased since US missile attacks on suspected militants inside Pakistan’s borders.

Most of the money will be channelled through central and local government, the Department for International Development said, while acknowledging that corruption would be a problem.

“We have been committed to helping Pakistan’s efforts in the fight against poverty for many years,” Mr Alexander said.

“Our aim is to continue to help improve poor people’s lives in key areas, making sure they have access to better healthcare, schools and employment opportunities.”

An MoD spokesman said: “The stability of the wider region, particu-larly the Pakistan border area, is vitally important to the continuing efforts to bring peace and security to Afghanistan. This cannot be achieved through just military means.”

In addition to the health and education programmes, Britain will provide £50 million to the State Bank of Pakistan to help to make loans and bank accounts available to the poor. Funds will also be available for reconstruction work in Pakistani-controlled Kashmir. More than 80,000 people died in the earthquake that hit Pakistan’s northern areas in 2005. Britain has previously provided £128 million in relief and reconstruction aid.

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