WASHINGTON: The Trump administration has asked Congress to approve $336million of civil and military aid to Pakistan for the next fiscal year,arguing that the proposed military assistance will help defeat Al Qaeda andthe militant Islamic State (IS) group.

The total request is $10 million less than the previous year and links thedefence assistance to Islamabad’s action against alleged terror safe havenson its soil.

The proposed military assistance includes $80 million from the ForeignMilitary Financing (FMF) fund, $20 million less than $100 million from thelast fiscal year. In 2017, the administration received $242.25 million forPakistan from this fund. The 2019 proposals also mention that the FMF fundsaccumulated since 2017 include an OCO (Overseas Contin­gency Operations)component of $242.25 million.

The budget not used in a given year, such as those for 2017 and 2018, canbe carried forward to the next fiscal year, 2019, which begins on Oct 1.

This is particularly important for Pakistan, as large amounts from theprevious allocations were not released due to Islamabad’s alleged linkswith Afghan militants.

The request for military assistance also makes clear that theimplementation of FY 2019 FMF resources is “contingent on Pakistan takingappropriate action to expand cooperation in areas where interests convergeand to address areas of national divergence, in line with theAdministration’s South Asia strategy”.

A Jan 4 order suspended most security aid to Islamabad, but the StateDepartment says that the proposed military assistance will “advance USnational security interests by supporting Pakistan’s capacity to improvestability and security and fight terrorism”.

The proposed assistance will also encourage Pakis­tan to “eliminate safehavens for terrorist and militant organisations” and will encourage it to“continue efforts to build the counterterrorism and counterinsurgencycapabilities of its security forces”, it adds.

The State Department argues that these capabilities are “needed to improvesecurity in tribal areas along the border with Afghanistan”.

The proposed military assistance will also “help to achieve progress onjoint US-Pakistan objectives, par­ticularly bilateral efforts to confrontthe threat of terrorist networks, including core Al Qaeda and ISIS-KhorasanProvince,” the department adds.

The funds will also “improve Pakistan’s ability to participate in US-ledCoalition Maritime Forces and patrol its maritime borders to stem the flowof illicit materials and personnel”, the State Department explains.