*WASHINGTON – President Donald Trump’s administration has quietly startedcutting scores of Pakistani officers from coveted training and educationalprograms that have been a hallmark of bilateral military relations for morethan a decade, US officials said.*

The Pentagon and the Pakistani military did not comment directly on thedecision or the internal deliberations, but officials from both countriesprivately criticized the move.

US officials, speaking to Reuters on the condition of anonymity, said theywere worried the decision could undermine a key trust-building measure.Pakistani officials warned it could push their military to further look toChina or Russia for leadership training.

The effective suspension of Pakistan from the US government’s InternationalMilitary Education and Training program will close off places that had beenset aside for 66 Pakistani officers this year, a State Departmentspokesperson told Reuters.

The places will either be unfilled or given to officers from othercountries.

Dan Feldman, a former U.S. special representative for Afghanistan andPakistan, called the move “very short-sighted and myopic”.

“This will have lasting negative impacts limiting the bilateralrelationship well into the future,” Feldman told Reuters.

The State Department spokesperson, speaking on the condition of anonymity,said the IMET cancellations were valued at $2.41 million so far. At leasttwo other programs have also been affected, the spokesperson said.

It is unclear precisely what level of military cooperation still continuesoutside the IMET program, beyond the top level contacts between U.S. andPakistani military leaders.

The U.S. military has traditionally sought to shield such educationalprograms from political tensions, arguing that the ties built by bringingforeign military officers to the United States pay long-term dividends.

For example, the U.S. Army’s War College in Carlisle, Pennsylvania, whichwould normally have two Pakistani military officers per year, boastsgraduates including Lieutenant General Naveed Mukhtar, the currentdirector-general of the ISI.

The War College, the U.S. Army’s premier school for foreign officers, saysit has hosted 37 participants from Pakistan over the past several decades.It will have no Pakistani students in the upcoming academic year, aspokeswoman said.

Pakistan has also been removed from programs at the U.S. Naval War College,Naval Staff College and courses including cyber security studies. -Agencies