US suspends security assistance of more than $255 mn to Pakistan

Mangalore Today News Network

New York, Jan 05, 2018 : The US State Department on Thursday announced that it would be suspending national security assistance of more than $255 million to Pakistan until Islamabad takes actions against the Haqqani network and the Afghan Taliban.

 

The US State Department announced the decision, saying it reflected the Trump administration’s frustration that Pakistan has not done more against the two groups, which have long used sanctuaries in Pakistan to launch attacks in neighboring Afghanistan that have killed US, Afghan and other forces.

US officials said two main categories of aid are affected: Foreign military financing (FMF), which funds purchases of US military hardware, training and services, and coalition support funds (CSF), which reimburse Pakistan for counterterrorism operations. They said they could make exceptions for money that went to critical US national security priorities.

The department declined to say exactly how much aid would be suspended, but a glance at US budget figures suggest the amounts frozen could exceed $1 billion.

Addressing a press briefing, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert said:
"Today, we can confirm that we are suspending ... security assistance only to Pakistan at this time until the Pakistani government takes decisive action against groups including the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network. We consider them to be destabilising the region and also targeting US personnel.  "

The United States gives Pakistan $255 million a year in FMF, which falls under the State Department’s authority. For fiscal year 2017, which ended on 30 September 2017, it has authorised up to $900 million in CSF, which falls under Pentagon authority.
"Our hope is that they will see this as a further indication of this administration’s immense frustration with the trajectory of our relationship, and that they need to be serious about taking the steps we have asked in order to put it on more solid footing." - Senior US State Department official told Reuters

"We’re hoping that Pakistan will see this as an incentive, not a punishment," he added.

The department’s announcement comes hours after the Trump administration placed Pakistan on a special watch list for "severe violations of religious freedom”.

The development comes days after US President Donald Trump slammed Pakistan as a ’safe haven’ for terrorists and said that the "United States had foolishly given more than 33 billion dollars in aid over the last 15 years."



courtesy:yahoo