US begins review of ties with Pak

WASHINGTON: The US is starting an inter-agency review of relations with Pakistan, and on the orders of President Donald Trump, will take a fresh look at aid and support it receives from America.

“We are beginning an interagency policy review towards Pakistan,” secretary of state Rex Tillerson told the House of Representatives on Wednesday, in response to a question about aid to Pakistan.

“This (the question of aid) is going to be one of the considerations,” he added. “The president has asked the questions specifically about our level of support and funding for Pakistan.”

The announcement of the review will not surprise South Asia watchers as they have seen pressure mount on Trump to consider tougher measures to force Islamabad give up its use of terrorism to serve its strategic aims.

Tillerson went on to say, “No decision is to be taken until we complete that policy review as you well can understand (that) Pakistan and our relations with them touches on some much broader issues relative to stability in Afghanistan and how we achieve that and stability in the Indo-Pacific region.

Pakistan is already slated to get less in Trump’s new budget, if it were to pass. It has been earmarked for $800 million in reimbursements for its support to US-led coalition forces combating insurgency and terrorism in the region, which is $100 less than the amount set aside in 2016.