December 13, 2011, Washington DC: The U.S. India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) applauds the U.S. House-Senate negotiating panel on their decision to freeze $700 million aid to Pakistan. The decision comes as Congress wants assurances that Islamabad is helping fight the spread of homemade bombs or IEDs that are attacking American troops.
Pakistan is one of the largest recipients of aid from the U.S. and the cutback, though a small portion, reflects the increasing concern in the U.S. that Pakistan is doing very little to curb the menace of militancy.
Earlier in July, USINPAC had welcomed the move by the ‘House Appropriations Subcommittee on Foreign Affairs’ approving a foreign aid bill that conditioned aid to Pakistan unless the Secretary of State certifies that Pakistan is pursuing terrorists.
Manish Thakur, Co-Chair of the National Security Committee, USINPAC said, “The decision shows the frustration of the U.S. over Pakistan not doing enough in fighting the resurgent insurgency in the region. We are happy that the U.S. now understands the need for greater accountability in any aid given to Pakistan.”
USINPAC has been advocating strict accountability mechanisms and restrictions in military aid to Pakistan for almost a decade. It however does support aid to Pakistan that will assist economic and social reforms in the country.
In May 2011, Osama Bin Laden was killed by U.S. Special Forces after he was found to be hiding in the neighborhood of Abbotabad, Pakistan. This had then caused uproar in the U.S. over the aid given to Pakistan.
About USINPAC: The U.S. India Political Action Committee (USINPAC) is a bi-partisan non-profit organization and the voice of 2.7 million Indian-Americans. It works to impact policy on issues of concern to the Indian-American community in the US. We also provide bipartisan support to candidates for federal, state and local office who support the issues that are important to the Indian-American community. For more information visit us at http://www.usinpac.com
Follow USINPAC on Twitter, Facebook and LinkedIn