World | Pakistan
Pentagon turns down military aid request
The Pentagon has rejected or deferred millions of dollars in military aid requests from Islamabad amid criticism that the government has squandered US funding and allowed Al Qaida to recreate a safe haven in its western tribal regions.
- Los Angeles Times-Washington Post
- Published: 00:09 May 8, 2008
Washington: The Pentagon has rejected or deferred millions of dollars in military aid requests from Islamabad amid criticism that the government has squandered US funding and allowed Al Qaida to recreate a safe haven in its western tribal regions.
In February alone, the Defence Department turned down or delayed more than $81 million (Dh297 million) requested by Pakistan, according to a report issued on Tuesday by the Government Accountability Office, the investigative arm of the US Congress.
The rejection represents a small portion of the nearly $1 billion a year the country has received through a post-September 11 programme called Coalition Support Funds. But it marks a sudden change in US policy which, for years, allowed the government to spend American military aid without having to show results in the fight against Al Qaida and other militant groups. Even some officials in the Pentagon have acknowledged shortcomings in US funding strategy.
The programme was set up to reimburse the Pakistani military for missions against insurgents along the Afghan border and assistance given to the US military operating in Afghanistan.
The GAO said the US has sent more than $5.5 billion to Pakistan since the programme was established, making it the largest portion of $10.8 billion in US aid Islamabad has received since 2002.
The study was the second by the GAO in a month to criticise US policy in Pakistan. In April, the agency said the Bush administration had not drafted a comprehensive plan to counter the resurgence of Al Qaida and other militant groups. Charles Michael Johnson Jr., who wrote the GAO report, said the agency was still examining why the rejections had skyrocketed in recent months. But he noted the Pentagon's representatives at the US embassy in Islamabad had begun playing a larger role in the oversight of payments to the military during the last year.
Just over a year ago, Army Maj Gen James R. Helmley took over as head of the embassy arm, known as the Office of the Defence Representative to Pakistan.
A spokesman for US Central Command, which helps oversee disbursements, said he had not seen the report and could not comment on the aid programme.
Tougher line
In a formal comment submitted to the GAO, James J. Shinn, the assistant secretary of Defence responsible for Asia, noted the Pentagon had taken a tougher line on Pakistan's aid requests for some time.
Coalition Support Funds have come under scrutiny because the massive payouts have not been matched by significant progress against militant groups.
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