US payments rest on secretaries’ OK

WASHINGTON: The new spending bill of whooping $1.3 trillion approved by the US House of representatives has incorporated security related funds for Pakistan.

The bill discussed will enable the US government to operate till the end of September. More than 2200-page long draft bill also provides funds to Pakistan, which was halted earlier this year.

However, the bill explicitly points out that the payments for reimbursement to the government of Pakistan may be made available unless the Secretary of Defence, in coordination with the Secretary of State, certifies to the congressional defence committees that the government of Pakistan is “cooperating with the United States in counterterrorism efforts against the Haqqani Network, the Quetta Shura, Taliban, Lashkar-e-Tayaba, Jaish-e-Mohammad, al-Qaeda, and other domestic and foreign terrorist organisations, including taking steps to end support for such groups and prevent them from basing and operating in Pakistan and carrying out border attacks into neighbouring countries.”

The bill also mentions not supporting terrorist activities against United States or coalition forces in Afghanistan, and asks that “Pakistan’s military and intelligence agencies are not intervening extra-judicially into political and judicial processes in Pakistan.” Under the International Security Assistance programme, it allows the funds only to support counterterrorism and counterinsurgency capabilities in Pakistan.

The Trump administration halted over a billion dollar assistance to Pakistan this January accusing that the country was not actively and decisively taking action against militant groups and was providing sanctuaries. The Pentagon and the State Department officials had clarified that the funds could be released on a case-to-case basis.