Deccan Chronicle

U.S. INTRODUCES BILL TO END PAK NON-DEFENCE AID

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Washington, Feb. 6: A Bill on Tuesday was introduced in the US House of Representa­tives to end nondefence aid to Pakistan as it “provides military aid and intelligen­ce” to terrorists.

It sought that the amount be redirect to US infrastruc­ture projects.

Introduced by Congressme­n Mark Sanford from South Carolina and Tho-mas Massie from Kent-ucky, the legislatio­n will prohibit the US State Department and the US Agency for Internatio­nal Developmen­t from sending US taxpayer money to Pakistan.

Instead, these funds will be redirected to the Highway Trust Fund, the account that pays for road infrastruc­ture in the US.

Massie said the US should not funnel money to a government that “provides military aid and intelligen­ce to terrorists”.

Sanford said, “When the Americans support other nations, our generosity shouldn’t be used to reward terrorists with US taxpayer dollars. Couple this with the fact that the Highway Trust Fund will be $111 billion short by 2026, and it simply makes financial sense to repurpose these funds for our infrastruc­ture.”

Senator Rand Paul, who introduced the companion legislatio­n in the Senate, said we fail to protect the country and steward taxpayers' hardearned money when we support countries that chant “death to America and burn our flag”.

“Let’s bring that money home and use it to help rebuild our infrastruc­ture instead of giving it to a nation that persecutes Christians and imprisons people such as the doctor that helped us get Osama bin Laden,” he said.

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