U.S. CANCELS $300 MILLION AID TO PAK
Washington, Sept. 2: The US will cancel $300 million in military aid to Pakistan over its failure to take “decisive actions” to support President Donald Trump’s new South Asia policy and act against terror groups like the Haqqani network and Lashkar-e-Taiba, the Pentagon has announced, a fresh blow to the deteriorating ties between the two nations.
The announcement comes just days before US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is due to visit Pakistan to meet the country’s new prime minister Imran Khan. The US and others have long complained that Pakistan provides safe haven to militant networks, allowing them to carry out crossborder attacks in Afghanistan. The Pentagon’s move, which needs to be approved by the US Congress, is part of a broader suspension of aid announced in January.
President Donald Trump since assuming office has been tough on Pakistan over its inaction against terror groups, saying Washington has got “nothing but lies & deceit” in return for millions of dollars in aid over the years.
Ramallah, Sept. 2: US President Donald Trump’s swingeing cuts to aid for Palestinians will advance Israel’s interests but risk compromising a US-led peace push and raise tensions in the Middle East, analysts and diplomats have said.
The US administration announced on Friday it would no longer provide any funding to the United Nations agency for Palestinian refugees (UNRWA), a week after cutting over $200 million (170 million euros) in separate aid to Palestinians.
They were the latest in a series of controversial moves by the Trump administration that have thrilled Israel’s government but caused shock and dismay among international powers and Palestinians, making their dream of an independent state more distant than ever.
The cuts come as the international community seeks to reach an agreement to deliver significant humanitarian aid to the poverty-stricken Gaza Strip.
The US has long been the largest single donor to UNRWA, providing more than $350 million a year. The agency provides support to Palestinians who fled their homes in the 1948 war surrounding the creation of Israel, as well as their descendants. Israel and the US object to the fact that Palestinians can pass refugee status to their children, and want the number of refugees reduced.