WASHINGTON – The United States has told Pakistan what it must do if itwants Washington to resume paying out hundreds of millions of dollars insecurity aid, the Pentagon said on Monday.
“Our expectations are straightforward,” Pentagon spokesperson Colonel RobManning told reporters.
“Taliban and Haqqani leadership and attack planners should no longer beable to find safe haven or conduct operations from Pakistani soil,” hemaintained.
Last week, US President Donald Trump froze payments worth $900 million fromthe “coalition support fund” for Pakistan, saying Islamabad is not doingenough to target Afghan Taliban and Haqqani group bases.
The coalition funding is set aside to refund Pakistani spending oncounter-terrorist operations.
Also in question is almost $1 billion of US military equipment that hasallowed Pakistan access to advanced military technology.
The White House earlier confirmed that an already-delayed $255 millionmilitary aid to Pakistan had been blocked.
“The United States does not plan to spend the $255 million in FY 2016foreign military financing for Pakistan at this time,” CNNlink>quoteda National Security Council spokesperson as saying.
“The United States has conveyed to Pakistan specific and concrete stepsthat it could take,” Manning said.
“We stand ready to work with Pakistan to combat terrorist groups withoutdistinction. We will continue these conversations with the Pakistanigovernment in private.”
Pentagon officials are watching to see if Pakistan is going to retaliateagainst the US by cutting supply lines to US troops from its port atKarachi into Afghanistan.
So far, Manning said, there was no sign Islamabad was preparing to takethat course of action. He stressed that the suspension of funding was notpermanent “at this time” and that the money was not being divertedelsewhere.
Islamabad denies those allegations and has called Trump’s decision tothreaten funding “counterproductive”.