Washington D.C.: The United States Military has announced plans to reallocate $300 million in assistance to Pakistan, adding to the earlier suspension of US funding for security assistance in January. The reasoning behind the reallocation of the $300 million is Islamabad’s lack of decisive actions, according to the Pentagon.
For the past several years the United States has accused Pakistan of harbouring terrorism and creating safe havens for some terrorist groups. From these safe havens, the Pentagon argues, terrorist groups are able to launch operations from the Pakistan-Afghan border and into Afghanistan. The Pentagon hopes that this final push to halt funding to Pakistan will be cause for more cooperation on Pakistan’s part, and end supposed safe havens areas.
Americans have long been wary of the aid given to Pakistan because of their past connections with the Taliban and the Haqqani Network, the group responsible for September 11, 2001. This lack of trust and little to no discernible outcomes resulted in the Obama Administration ending $800 million in aid to Pakistan in 2011 and another $350 million in 2016.
The Pentagon had submitted the [reprogramming] request to Congress in June or July and is currently waiting for an answer, according to Lieutenant Colonel Kone Faulkner, the Defense Press Officer for the Secretary of Defense.
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