US Congress withholds Rs 35 billion CSF for Pakistan
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WASHINGTON : The US congress has passed a new amended law regarding Pakistan and the notorious Haqqani terrorist network, it has been reported.
According to the new bill passed by the Congress, the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) 2018, Pakistan is obliged to work with the Afghan government and Washington for the elimination of the safe havens of the terror network in its soil.
The bill includes $700 billion for the US defense needs for the year 2018 as well as $700 million on Coalition Support Fund for Pakistan.
However, the US Congress has said half of the funds from the Coalition Support Fund amounting to $350 million will be withheld and will be released only when the US defense secretary certifies Pakistan’s steps against the Haqqani terrorist network.
This comes as the Afghan and US officials have long been insisting that the leadership councils of the Taliban and the notorious Haqqani terrorist network are based in the key cities of Pakistan where from they plan and coordinate attacks in Afghanistan.
The Haqqani terrorist network was found in the late 1970s by Jalaluddin Haqqani and is accused of staging numerous cross-border attacks from their base in North Waziristan, including the 19-hour siege at the US Embassy in Kabul in September 2011, the report claimed.
The network is allied with al-Qaida and the Afghan Taliban and cooperates with other terrorist organizations in the region and was designated a Foreign Terrorist Organization on September 7, 2012 by the US Department of State.
