Washington/New York, Sep 25 - The US Senate has approved legislation to triple civilian financial aid to Islamabad to $7.5 billion over five years even as President Barack Obama spoke of violent extremists within Pakistan posing a threat to the world.

Underscoring Islamabad's perceived role in the war in Afghanistan and the broader fight against international terrorism Obama urged 'sustained and expanded' support for Pakistan at an international summit Thursday.

Obama, seated next to Pakistani President Asif Ali Zardari, told the meeting of the 26-member Friends of Democratic Pakistan that the US Senate vote for billions of dollars in aid for Islamabad was proof of US support.

'We also face a common threat. The violent extremists within Pakistan pose a threat to the region, to the United States, and to the world. Above all, they threaten the security of the Pakistani people,' Obama told the summit, which he chaired with Zardari and British Prime Minister Gordon Brown.

'We believe that hope can triumph over fear, and that adversity can be replaced by opportunity,' Obama insisted at the meeting held on the sidelines of the United Nations General Assembly in New York.