WASHINGTON: The Trump administration announced on Thursday it is suspending its entire security assistance to Pakistan until it proves its commitment to fight all terrorist groups operating in the region, DawnNews reported.
State Department spokesperson Heather Nauert told a news briefing in Washington that the cut-off is not permanent and only affects military assistance.
Official sources told Dawn that the proposed plan does not call for “a total cut-off”. Instead, it suggests a “condition and issue-based approach”.
Under the new approach, funds would be allocated to a particular purpose identified with the allocation and would be released only after that target is achieved. The targets identified with the allocation could be strategic as well as issue specific.
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Nauert said the suspension will remain in effect until Pakistan “takes decisive action” against groups such as the Taliban that are “destabilising the region and targeting US personnel”. Although Pakistan “certainly has been helpful in some instances,” she said, “they are not taking steps they need to take to fight terrorists.”
The aid suspension will include equipment and the transfer of security-related funds, with possible exceptions for US national security reasons.
