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| US justifies decision to aid Pakist |
| US justifies decision to aid Pakistan with $1.6 billion to fight terror
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| UNITED STATES OF AMERICA
, 22-October-2013
7:0:20 AM |
| US justified plans to release more than $1.6 billion in aid to Pakistan saying it was doing so partly to build Islamabad's counterinsurgency and counterterrorism capabilities "encouraged by an improvement in bilateral ties".
"This is part of a long process of restarting security assistance cooperation that was slowed during 2011-12 when we had some bilateral challenges," state department spokesperson Marie Harf told reporters yesterday.
Among the signs of improved ties, she pointed to the visit of Pakistan Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif, his first to Washington since his election in May. He met Secretary of State John Kerry Sunday and is set to meet President Barack Obama on Wednesday.
"The visit last night with Secretary Kerry and Mr. Sharif was a good one," Harf said. "And so we're going to move forward with this 1.6 billion" which is separate from $1.16 billion that the administration has asked for 2014 Fiscal Year.
The $1.6 billion in military and economic aid was from previous multi-year funding "that had been designated for Pakistan but that had been slowed because of the bilateral challenges", she said.
Harf didn't spell out the "bilateral challenges" but aid to Pakistan had been blocked because of tension over events including drone strikes and the Navy SEAL raid that killed Osama bin Laden inside Pakistan.
The spokesperson said she didn't have an exact breakdown, but the $1.6 billion is "close to being 50/50" between security and military.
"The security assistance will work on to continue to build the counterinsurgency
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