ISLAMABAD: The United States accuses Pakistan of enjoying a deadly double game, taking billions in US help since 2002 while supporting the Taliban and different militants who attack American forces in Afghanistan.
Its decision announced Saturday to cut $300 million in army help is a part of a broader help suspension announced in January, as US President Donald Trump tries to drive Islamabad over its alleged reinforce for militant secure havens.
The reduce got here days earlier than Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is because of contact down in Islamabad for his first seek advice from for the reason that election of recent Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has vowed to seek better family members with the United States amid a brand new push for Afghan peace talks.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi performed down the reduce. Analysts have mentioned the move highlights the difficulties of looking to regulate a quasi-ally whose reinforce is important within the long-running Afghan warfare.
Washington accuses Pakistan of supporting militant groups together with the Afghan Taliban.
It says the insurgents have secure havens in Pakistan's border spaces and links to its shadowy army status quo, which aims to use them as a regional bulwark in Afghanistan in opposition to arch-nemesis India.
Pakistan's reinforce for these groups should end, Washington says.
Islamabad has again and again denied the accusations, insisting it has eliminated secure havens and accusing the United States of ignoring the hundreds killed on Pakistani soil and the billions spent fighting extremists.
On Saturday the Pentagon announced it used to be cutting $300 million in help to Pakistan "due to a lack of Pakistani decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy". The request used to be pending Congressional approval.
Qureshi mentioned the cash used to be part of the Coalition Support Fund. The funding, value $900 million, is set aside to refund Pakistani spending on counter-terrorist operations and is helping pay Pakistan for allowing US and different NATO provides into Afghanistan.
In January Washington announced it used to be freezing bills from the fund as part of a broader suspension of up to $2 billion in help.
US officials have mentioned that help might be restored if Washington sees decisive action from Pakistan. The $300 million reduce and feedback via a Pentagon spokesman suggest Washington does now not feel this has came about and is ratcheting up the drive.
"It is not a new aid cut. It is a just an implementation of former aid suppression," analyst Huma Yusuf of the Wilson Center in Washington told AFP.
US figures show that greater than $33 billion has been given to Pakistan in direct help since 2002. Cutting the cash off turns out an obvious step.
It has been suspended earlier than, significantly after the United States raid in Pakistan in 2011 that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, which drew suspicions that he had been sheltered there for years.
But the United States does now not want a complete ruin in ties with Pakistan. It needs get entry to to its roads and airspace to get provides into Afghanistan.
Pakistan may be still believed to have the strongest affect over the Afghan Taliban, making its cooperation vital for any peace talks. Momentum for contemporary negotiations has been growing in fresh weeks.
Pakistan additionally holds the Muslim global's only identified nuclear arsenal. The US needs to stop it from going to struggle with rival nuclear energy India, or permitting the guns to fall into the arms of extremists.
"This is something which of course has got Islamabad's attention, but (is) not sufficient enough to rattle the current government," Pakistani political scientist Maria Sultan told AFP.
Some analysts have mentioned there's no actual method to drive Pakistan, which believes it's more important to keep Afghanistan out of India's orbit than to clamp down on cross-border militancy.
Others say the United States risks driving Pakistan further into the orbit of China, which is making an investment heavily within the nation.
The announcement, and Pompeo's seek advice from, come weeks after Khan took place of work amid concerns he would stay tolerant of militant groups.
When the aid freeze used to be first announced in January, Khan, then in opposition, referred to as for Pakistan to close the United States supply traces to Afghanistan.
Since coming to energy he has referred to as for a more balanced dating with the United States. But questions stay over how much affect he'll have in a rustic where foreign, defence and safety insurance policies are broadly noticed as managed via the robust army.
Qureshi says the 2 nations have "shared objectives" and vowed to lift concerns with Pompeo when he visits this week.
In the top, observers say, till the United States addresses Pakistan's fears over India, it's going to now not shake its reinforce for militant proxies.
Its decision announced Saturday to cut $300 million in army help is a part of a broader help suspension announced in January, as US President Donald Trump tries to drive Islamabad over its alleged reinforce for militant secure havens.
The reduce got here days earlier than Secretary of State Mike Pompeo is because of contact down in Islamabad for his first seek advice from for the reason that election of recent Prime Minister Imran Khan, who has vowed to seek better family members with the United States amid a brand new push for Afghan peace talks.
Pakistan's Foreign Minister Shah Mehmood Qureshi performed down the reduce. Analysts have mentioned the move highlights the difficulties of looking to regulate a quasi-ally whose reinforce is important within the long-running Afghan warfare.
Washington accuses Pakistan of supporting militant groups together with the Afghan Taliban.
It says the insurgents have secure havens in Pakistan's border spaces and links to its shadowy army status quo, which aims to use them as a regional bulwark in Afghanistan in opposition to arch-nemesis India.
Pakistan's reinforce for these groups should end, Washington says.
Islamabad has again and again denied the accusations, insisting it has eliminated secure havens and accusing the United States of ignoring the hundreds killed on Pakistani soil and the billions spent fighting extremists.
On Saturday the Pentagon announced it used to be cutting $300 million in help to Pakistan "due to a lack of Pakistani decisive actions in support of the South Asia Strategy". The request used to be pending Congressional approval.
Qureshi mentioned the cash used to be part of the Coalition Support Fund. The funding, value $900 million, is set aside to refund Pakistani spending on counter-terrorist operations and is helping pay Pakistan for allowing US and different NATO provides into Afghanistan.
In January Washington announced it used to be freezing bills from the fund as part of a broader suspension of up to $2 billion in help.
US officials have mentioned that help might be restored if Washington sees decisive action from Pakistan. The $300 million reduce and feedback via a Pentagon spokesman suggest Washington does now not feel this has came about and is ratcheting up the drive.
"It is not a new aid cut. It is a just an implementation of former aid suppression," analyst Huma Yusuf of the Wilson Center in Washington told AFP.
US figures show that greater than $33 billion has been given to Pakistan in direct help since 2002. Cutting the cash off turns out an obvious step.
It has been suspended earlier than, significantly after the United States raid in Pakistan in 2011 that killed Al-Qaeda leader Osama bin Laden, which drew suspicions that he had been sheltered there for years.
But the United States does now not want a complete ruin in ties with Pakistan. It needs get entry to to its roads and airspace to get provides into Afghanistan.
Pakistan may be still believed to have the strongest affect over the Afghan Taliban, making its cooperation vital for any peace talks. Momentum for contemporary negotiations has been growing in fresh weeks.
Pakistan additionally holds the Muslim global's only identified nuclear arsenal. The US needs to stop it from going to struggle with rival nuclear energy India, or permitting the guns to fall into the arms of extremists.
"This is something which of course has got Islamabad's attention, but (is) not sufficient enough to rattle the current government," Pakistani political scientist Maria Sultan told AFP.
Some analysts have mentioned there's no actual method to drive Pakistan, which believes it's more important to keep Afghanistan out of India's orbit than to clamp down on cross-border militancy.
Others say the United States risks driving Pakistan further into the orbit of China, which is making an investment heavily within the nation.
The announcement, and Pompeo's seek advice from, come weeks after Khan took place of work amid concerns he would stay tolerant of militant groups.
When the aid freeze used to be first announced in January, Khan, then in opposition, referred to as for Pakistan to close the United States supply traces to Afghanistan.
Since coming to energy he has referred to as for a more balanced dating with the United States. But questions stay over how much affect he'll have in a rustic where foreign, defence and safety insurance policies are broadly noticed as managed via the robust army.
Qureshi says the 2 nations have "shared objectives" and vowed to lift concerns with Pompeo when he visits this week.
In the top, observers say, till the United States addresses Pakistan's fears over India, it's going to now not shake its reinforce for militant proxies.
Will Washington's $300 mn aid cut to Pakistan work?
![Will Washington's $300 mn aid cut to Pakistan work?]()
Reviewed by Kailash
on
September 04, 2018
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