WASHINGTON – US Secretary of State Mike Pompeo has said that Washingtonwill cut aid to Islamabad in the form of grants, financial assistance andcompensation, accusing Pakistan of treating American diplomats “badly”.
Pompeo, who was deposing at a hearing of the House of Representativesforeign affairs committee on Wednesday, was answering Republicancongressman Dana Rohrabacher, who asked why the US should continue toexpend financial aid to Pakistan, which had imprisoned Shakil Afridi, adoctor who helped American forces track down Al-Qaeda chief Osama bin ladenin 2011.
Pompeo said he worked “diligently” on the issue of Afridi in his previousrole as the CIA director, but acknowledged that he has been “unsuccessful”so far. “Please be aware that it’s at my heart and I know it’s importantand we can do that. We can achieve that outcome,” he said.
Pointing out that the US had released far fewer funds to Pakistan in 2018than in prior years, Pompeo said that the “remainder of the funds availableare under review… my guess is that the number will be smaller still”.
Earlier this year, the Trump administration had announced a drastic cut of$2 billion in security aid to Pakistan.
Pompeo said: “As part of the new South Asia strategy, we have been clearwith Pakistan that ensuring reconciliation, peace, and security inAfghanistan in large part depends on Pakistan’s willingness to crack downon terrorist safe havens and instigators of terrorist activity in its owncountry.”
He also vented US irritation over the treatment of American diplomats inPakistan, probably in reference to measures taken by Islamabad in theaftermath of a fatal road accident caused by a US official posted there.Both countries have since restricted the movement of each other’s diplomatson their soil.
Pompeo said “My officers — state department officials are being treatedbadly as well — those working in the embassies and consulates are not beingtreated well by the Pakistani government either.” The top US diplomat alsosaid the US will not tolerate Russian interference in the 2018 mid-termelections and will continue to undertake “countermeasures in response to aneffort to do so”.
Pompeo’s Russia remarks come in the midst of an aggressive pushback fromPresident Donald Trump, his lawyers, and his allies against the ongoingprobe by special counsel Robert Mueller. Trump recently forced the FBI toorder an inquiry into its conduct of the probe and how it started.
To a question, Pompeo said the United States aims at “complete”denuclearisation by North Korea before it provides any support for thecountry´s economy, and that Washington wants that to happen quickly. “Themodel that we have laid forth is a rapid denuclearisation that will betotal and complete,” he said.
“We are not going to do trade for trade. We’re not going to let this dragout. We´re not going to provide economic relief until such time as we havean irreversible set of actions, not words, not commitments, undertaken bythe North Korean regime,” he said.
“When we get there, in exchange for that, we´re prepared to do a great dealto help the North Korean people.”
Asked what he means by “complete”, Pompeo said denuclearisation wouldencompass Pyongyang giving up its nuclear weapons capability, missilecapability, and the technology behind those capabilities, including enginesand systems associated with space launch vehicles. – Agencies