United States reduces Pak military aid by $650 million

The United States House of Representatives yesterday passed a resolution, which will see American military aid to Pakistan cut by as much as $650 million.

The measure was proposed by Lloyd “Ted” Poe, the Republican representative from Texas’s 2nd congressional district. The measure was unanimously approved in the House, with all the Democrat and Republican representatives voting for it. It will be now sent to the United States Senate for its approval.

In his speech, Poe claimed that Pakistan is a disloyal, deceptive and dangerous ally of the US. He accused Pakistan of diverting millions of dollars of American military aid towards various militant groups operating in the region. According to him, the US is effectively funding the militant groups to wage war against the American forces in the region. He claimed that the American military aid is not only funding the enemy, it is also endangering the lives of American servicemen. Poe is currently serving in the House Foreign Affairs Committee.

The U.S. State Department spokesman, Patrick Ventrell refused to comment on the latest development and said that he doesn’t have any reaction to the measure proposed by Poe. He said that the US will continue its cooperation with Pakistan in the fields of counterterrorism.

The new proposal couldn’t have come at a more crucial time, as Pakistan had recently allowed NATO trucks to travel through the Southern Distribution Network (SDN), a vital supply route for the bases of International Security Assistance Force (ISAF) in Afghanistan. The closure of the route in 2011 had cost the American forces some $100 in extra expenses.

The US is one of the primary donors of foreign aid to Pakistan. For the 10 year period from 2002 to 2011, the US had provided the South Asian nation with $11.74 billion in military aid and $6.08 billion in financial aid. The military aid for this year is likely to stagnate around $1 billion following the latest measure.