TIL Desk/World/Washington/ The United States military has decided to cancel USD 300 million in aid to Pakistan over its failure to take decisive actions against militant groups, the Pentagon said on Saturday, a fresh blow to the deteriorating ties between the two nations. The move, which needs to be approved by the US Congress, is part of a broader suspension of aid announced in January.
US President Donald Trump since assuming office has been tough on Pakistan over its inaction against terror groups. Trump in August last year unveiled his new South Asia policy and asked Pakistan to do more against such groups. The US in January this year suspended more than USD 1.15 billion security assistance to Pakistan, accusing it of harbouring terror groups like the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani Network within its borders and showing unwillingness to take “decisive actions” against them, a move that affected bilateral ties.
Pentagon has now sought Congressional determination to reprogramme USD 300 million of its Coalition Support Fund for Pakistan “due to a lack of Pakistani decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy”, Pentagon Spokesman Kone Faulkner said. He said the US military would aim to spend the money on other “urgent priorities” before the funds expire on September 30, 2018.
