Islamabad can no longer expect free cheques: US lawmakers

US will seek a right balance between aid expenditure and its national security interest in Pak.

Amid an economic crisis,US lawmakers will seek a right balance between aid expenditure and its national security interest in Pakistan,the second largest recipient of American aid,a Congressional report has said,indicating that Islamabad can no longer expect free cheques.

“Given the current budgetary constraints facing the United States and the recent strained relationship,the 112th Congress may question the return on such large investments in Pakistan,the second-largest US aid recipient,” the bipartisan Congressional Research Service (CRS) said in a latest report.

“Lawmakers will seek the right balance between US aid expenditures to promote US national security interests in Pakistan and the region versus belt-tightening foreign aid cuts and accountability measures to address the lack of trust between the two governments,” said the report ‘Pakistan: US Foreign Assistance’,released yesterday.

According to the 44-page CRS report Pakistan is the second-ranking aid recipient of the US.

“Since 1948,the United States has pledged more than USD 30 billion in direct aid,about half for military assistance. Two-thirds of this total was appropriated in the post-9/11 era from Financial Year 2002-2010,” the report said.

CRS said in the 2010 supplemental appropriations,

Congress provided USD 349 million in military and economic assistance to Pakistan,USD 5 million more than the Administration’s request.

“Some question the gains from the aid,saying there is a lack of accountability and reform by the Pakistani government,and any goodwill generated by it is offset by widespread anti-American sentiment among the Pakistani people,” the report said.

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When “coalition support fund” military reimbursements are included,the US provided a total of USD 4.5 billion for Pakistan for FY2010 alone,making it the second-highest recipient after Afghanistan.

In addition to these ongoing programmes,in mid-2010 the United States pledged an additional USD 592 million in emergency and recovery aid,plus more than USD 95 million of in-kind aid after extensive flooding resulted in a severe humanitarian crisis that affected an estimated 20 million Pakistanis.

“In October 2010,Secretary of State Hillary Clinton announced the Administrations intention to increase US Foreign Military Financing for Pakistan to USD 2 billion over a five year period,a USD 100 million annual increase from the current level. This would have to go through the congressional appropriation and authorisation process,” the report said.