US could freeze almost $2bn in aid to Pakistan: Senior official
ISLAMABAD: Hours after the US suspended almost all security assistance to Pakistan, the Foreign Ministry said on Friday that Pakistan has fought the war against terrorism “largely from its own resources.”
US State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert announced on Thursday that America was suspending the transfer of military equipment and security-related funds to Pakistan. The Foreign Ministry in Islamabad is awaiting further details from the US administration.
“The impact of the US decision on the pursuit of common objectives is likely to emerge more clearly over time,” the Foreign Ministry said in a statement. “However, it needs to be appreciated that Pakistan has fought the war against terrorism largely from its own resources, spending over $120 billion in 15 years.”
US President Donald Trump’s decision to freeze aid to Pakistan could affect almost $2 billion worth of assistance, an AFP report quoted a senior administration official as saying on Friday.
US Ambassador to the UN Nikki Haley said on Tuesday that Washington would withhold $255 million in assistance to Pakistan from the Foreign Military Financing (FMF) fund, which is used to provide military equipment and training to friendly countries.
“Arbitrary deadlines, unilateral pronouncements and shifting goalposts are counterproductive in addressing common threats,” the Pakistani statement said, adding that Pakistan believes its cooperation with the US in fighting terrorism has directly served US national security interests as well as the larger interests of international community.
The statement stressed that “(Pakistan) has helped decimate Al-Qaeda and fight other groups” who posed “a common threat to peace.” The country cleared areas through a “series of major counterterrorism operations” which successfully led to the “elimination of an organized terrorist presence.”
US leaders claim that Pakistan has failed to take action against the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network, who are blamed for attacks on US and Afghan forces inside Afghanistan.
As the US increases pressure on Pakistan after Trump’s Tweet last week, experts in Pakistan claim that Washington is trying to shift blame for America’s failure in Afghanistan.
Senate Defense Committee Chairman Mushahid Hussain Sayed believes Trump’s “rhetoric” will have no major impact on Pakistan.
“The US is unable to extract itself from a quagmire in Afghanistan,” he told Arab News. “It’s the longes unwinnable war in American history, so scapegoating Pakistan to cover up the Pentagon’s failures suits the American establishment.
“There is no panic, rather a carefully calibrated response to the raving and ranting of a mercurial leader of a declining super power. However, no one in the Pakistani system will blink in the face of such rhetoric. Dialogue and defiance will go together, because Pakistan is now well-positioned in the region, with greater strategic space than there was following 9/11.”
According to former Ambassador Ayaz Wazir, playing the “blame game” will not solve anything and that the time is ripe for the US to pay attention to a political solution to the Afghan conflict.
“President Trump is on record saying that 22 militant groups are operating in Afghanistan, a country where his forces are based. Has he cleaned Afghanistan of that menace? It’s easier to blame others than to see one’s own faults,” he told Arab News.
However, retired Brig. Said Nazir Mohmand does not rule out “surgical strikes” in Pakistan’s tribal regions and an increase in drone strikes.
“Anything has to be expected (of Trump),” he said. “The US could opt for surgical strikes, but any such action will destabilize the region and force Pakistan to join the other camp.”