US suspends aid to Pakistan
Counterproductive to defeating threats: Islamabad
Pakistan said on Friday US “arbitrary deadlines” and its shifting of goalposts were counterproductive to defeating common security threats in the region after the US slashed aid to Pakistan.
“We are engaged with the US administration on the issue of security cooperation and await further detail,” the Pakistani foreign ministry said in a statement following a US announcement it was suspending all military assistance, believed to be at least $900 million.
“Arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements and shifting goalposts are counterproductive in addressing common threats,” the ministry said.
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.
The department declined to say exactly how much aid would be suspended, saying the numbers were still being calculated.
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 counter-terrorism operations. They said they could make exceptions to fund critical US national security priorities.
CSF funds, which fall under Defense Department authority, are covered by the freeze, said Pentagon spokesperson Commander Patrick Evans, saying Congress authorized up to $900 million in such money for Pakistan for fiscal year 2017.
The freeze also covers $255 million in FMF for fiscal year 2016, which falls under State Department authority and whose suspension has already been announced, as well as unspecified amounts of FMF that went unspent in earlier fiscal years.
Briefing reporters, US officials stressed the suspension did not affect civilian aid to Pakistan and that the money could go through if Islamabad took decisive action against the groups.
“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,” a senior State Department official told reporters.