US TO CUT AID TO PAK AND SOME OTHER NATIONS IN NEW BUDGET

WASHINGTON: The US on Monday announced a move to end foreign assistance to a number of countries, including one-time ally Pakistan that has been struggling to protect its equity from its reputation as a state using terrorists as a strategic tool.

Pakistan will continue to get assistance, but only as loans and not as grants. The amount was earmarked $742 million in 2017, according to the US state department, but may have been received more under heads that could not be determine readily.

“Yes, I can confirm that,” Trump’s director of budget office Mick Mulvaney said, when specifically asked if Pakistan and other aid-receiving nations would no longer be getting these sums as grants, specially military assistance.

Mulvaney said: “Yes, we do change a couple of the foreign military programmes from direct grants to loans. Our argument was instead of loaning somebody, giving somebody $100 million, we can give them a smaller number worth of loan guarantees and they can actually buy more stuff.”

There was no change for allies like Egypt and Israel, he stressed.

Asked again it there was a cut in aid to Pakistan, Mulvaney seemed a little unsure about the exact provisions in the budget.

The situation will be clearer when the details are rolled out.

ANOTHER US TRAVEL ADVISORY FOR PAK

The US on Monday issued a new advisory for its citizens and officials on non-essential travel to Pakistan, saying the country “continues to experience significant terrorist violence, including sectarian attacks”.

Americans continue to be targeted by indigenous and foreign terrorist groups, said the advisory, the second in as many months. “Evidence suggests that some victims of terrorist activity have been targeted because they are US citizens.”