WASHINGTON- The US official, speaking on condition of anonymity, denied anylink between Pakistan’s cooperation with Trump’s strategy to force theAfghan Taliban into peace talks and the possible loss of U.S. civilianassistance, stressing that any TIP decision would be based solely onIslamabad’s human trafficking record.

The State Department declined comment, except to cite the penaltiesavailable under the US anti-human trafficking law.

Pakistan has long rejected US accusations that it provides Afghan Talibanand allied Haqqani network militants with sanctuaries from which theyattack the Kabul government and US-led foreign forces in Afghanistan.

Future civilian aid hinges on Pakistan’s rating in the State Department’s2018 TIP report, an assessment of how more than 180 countries andterritories are fighting human smuggling, modern slavery and related issueslike child soldiers.

Pakistan has been on the report’s Tier 2 “Watch List” for four years, thelimit a country can remain at the second-to-worst ranking. Unless it isupgraded, Pakistan will drop to Tier 3, the lowest rung, alongside Iran,North Korea and Syria, among others.

This would trigger the suspension of civilian assistance, except forhumanitarian and trade-related aid, unless Trump, who has been stridentlycritical of Pakistan, waives the penalties. A Tier 3 rating assesses that acountry does not comply with minimum US standards against human trafficking.

Pakistan has struggled to eradicate bonded labour practices, especially indirty brick kilns where children often work.

Ahsan Iqbal said Pakistan would soon enact tougher laws. He did notconfirm, however, that Washington had warned his government about potentialaid cuts related to human trafficking.

“This cause is much more valuable than billions of dollars in aid becausethis is about human dignity,” he told *Reuters*. “There has to be moreunderstanding of the efforts that countries like us are doing.”

Pakistani officials dismissed the impact of a loss of US civilian aid, mostof which flows through non-governmental organisations, on the country’sgrowing economy of nearly $300 billion.

Still, they have expressed concern that Washington wants internationalbodies to punish Pakistan for not heeding Trump’s South Asia securityagenda.

In February, urged by the United States and European powers, the FinancialAction Task Force, a global money-laundering watchdog, placed Pakistan on aterrorist financing watchlist.

Pakistan fears Washington could use its vote in the IMF, to which theUnited States is the largest contributor, to oppose new loans to Islamabad.Pakistan’s economic growth has surged to above 5 per cent, but manyanalysts expect Pakistan to seek a new IMF bailout this year due to aballooning current account deficit and dwindling foreign currency reserves.