Amid calls to declare Pakistan a ‘hostile state’, US curtails aid, withholds Sharif invite

[lightoftruth]

WASHINGTON: Pakistan's bottomfeeding on American aid is about to end unless it terminates its policy of covertly using terrorism to further its frontiers, the Obama administration has conveyed to Islamabad, amid indications that the US is also making Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's proposed visit to Washington conditional to meeting this objective.

A key administration official on Thursday said there has been no announcement about a Sharif visit to Washington in October although the trip had been widely reported in the Pakistani media based on briefings from diplomats in Islamabad. "This is news to me. We have not made any statements about that (Sharif's visit to Washington)," Peter Lavoy, special assistant to the US president and senior director for south asian affairs at the national security council of the White House, told PTI. "If it is pakka (final) you would be the first to hear."

The rethink — or at least holding back the announcement — of the visit comes after the administration conveyed to Islamabad that it will not certify the effectiveness of Pakistan counter terrorism operation to Congress to enable passage of the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), the military reimbursement aid that goes towards keeping Pakistan solvent.

READ ALSO: US report again highlights Pak's two-timing on terror

As part of its rentier-state ethos, Pakistan provides logistical support to US and coalition forces in Afghanistan and in turn bills Washington for reimbursement. Pakistan has extracted more than $13 billion from the US since the coalition forces swooped into Afghanistan.

The CSF was scheduled to end following the US drawdown from Afghanistan in December 2014, but the Obama government extended the program for another year through a legislation containing additional conditions, including a requirement for certification by the defence secretary that Pakistani military operations are rolling up terrorist networks, including the Haqqani group in North Waziristan.

But true to form, Pakistan's military-intelligence establishment has again suckered Washington fooling the US by keeping the death from illnesses of Taliban supremo Mullah Omar and Jalalludin Haqqani while trying to manage their succession.

The manipulation, coming after Osama bin Laden being sheltered in Abbottabad, has further eroded trust in a country with a long history of lying and dissembling. Although US policy of forbearance is centered around its fear of Pakistan's collapse, that tolerance is being tested in the face of the Pakistani military-intelligence's serial malfeasance, including its continued patronage of terrorists associated with the 26/11 Mumbai attacks in which six Americans died.

"The US move is politically more damaging for Islamabad than its financial impact, which is significant nevertheless for being an important source for narrowing the current account deficit. More importantly, it coincided with the deterioration in ties with Afghanistan because of Kabul's allegations that Islamabad continued to harbor Taliban bases from where attacks were being launched," Karachi's Dawn newspaper, which first reported the rupture, said on Thursday.

"The US decision is also likely to sour ties in the run-up to Prime Minister Nawaz Sharif's scheduled visit to White House in October," it added.



Amid calls to declare Pakistan a ‘hostile state’, US curtails aid, withholds Sharif invite to Washington - The Times of India

U.S. Threatens to Withhold Pakistan Aid - WSJ

 

[Kompromat]

Indian yellow journalism is spicing things up to serve her audience. CSF was linked to Pakistan's transit facilities to the US Forces, since they are gone so is CSF. How big of a deal is it really?

 

[lightoftruth]

Indian yellow journalism is spicing things up to serve her audience. CSF was linked to Pakistan's transit facilities to the US Forces, since they are gone so is CSF. How big of a deal is it really?

“What we’re doing with the government of Pakistan is having a clear and candid conversation with them about that requirement and about the concerns we have with regard to the Haqqanis,” a senior U.S. official said.

Under a law passed last year, Washington must withhold some of those so-called Coalition Support Funds if Pakistan doesn’t take adequate steps to disrupt the Haqqani network, a Taliban ally described in 2011 by U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, then chairman of the joint chiefs, as “a veritable arm” of Pakistani military intelligence.

But U.S. officials have told Pakistani counterparts in recent days that their operations haven't sufficiently damaged the Haqqani network to qualify for the $300 million at risk

“While the Haqqanis have been disrupted from their long-standing havens in Miranshah and Mir Ali, we are concerned that they’ve been able to reconstitute their operations in other parts of Pakistan and continue their plotting and attack-planning against us and our friends in Afghanistan,” said the senior U.S. official.

U.S. Threatens to Withhold Pakistan Aid - WSJ

 

[Major Sam]

U.S. Threatens to Withhold Pakistan Aid - WSJ

Now compare this with TOI report.

and then live in denial. Your bloody crappy india media.

 

[Vyom]

U.S. Threatens to Withhold Pakistan Aid - WSJ

Please don't present facts here. only the version of ISPR is acceptable here.

 

[Menace2Society]

Indians fapping over their crappy tabloid journalism.They should be busy reporting how they are getting humiliated in Kashmir.

 

[That Guy]

Okay, lets say that we ignore logic, and entertain this claim that the US will declare Pakistan a hostile state, what next? Are the Americans really willing to destroy all relations with Pakistan, considering that they know the severe consequences of this action?

WSJ is being sensationalist. The US needs Pakistan, anyone who tells you otherwise is either an idiot, or a liar.

Those who say that Pakistan can be replaced by India are delusional. India isn't going to tow the US's line, or tolerate its bullying and bribing tactics. Pakistan is the only country in the region willing to fully cooperate with the US, and by pushing Pakistan away, they continue to lose that support.

The point is, this is just a dumb article. More opinion than factual.

 

[third eye]

The U.S. has warned Pakistan that it will withhold $300 million in military assistance if Islamabad doesn’t do more to crack down on militants targeting U.S. and Afghan troops in Afghanistan, senior Obama administration officials said.

If Washington follows through, it would be the first time that Pakistan pays financially for playing what the country’s critics call a double game—partnering with the U.S. while allowing Afghan insurgents safe harbor.

Since 2002, Pakistan has received about $1 billion a year under a U.S. program meant to reimburse it for costs incurred fighting militants near the Afghan border.

Under a law passed last year, Washington must withhold some of those so-called Coalition Support Funds if Pakistan doesn’t take adequate steps to disrupt the Haqqani network, a Taliban ally described in 2011 by U.S. Adm. Mike Mullen, then chairman of the joint chiefs, as “a veritable arm” of Pakistani military intelligence.

“What we’re doing with the government of Pakistan is having a clear and candid conversation with them about that requirement and about the concerns we have with regard to the Haqqanis,” a senior U.S. official said.

The official said the Pentagon hasn’t decided whether to certify that Islamabad has done enough to counter the Haqqanis, which is necessary for the country to avoid losing a chunk of its 2015 allocation.

Of the $1.1 billion authorized for this year, $100 million has already been delivered. Only $300 million of the total is subject to being withheld, based on progress fighting the Haqqanis.

Pakistani Foreign Ministry spokesman Qazi Khalilullah said Islamabad and Washington are “engaged in consultations on various issues, including the Coalition Support Funds.” He said that Pakistan has vigorously battled militants and terror groups.

“Action is being taken across the board, against all enemies of Pakistan and Afghanistan. There are no good or bad terrorists,” Mr. Khalilullah said.

If the U.S. penalty is imposed, it could further strain ties between Pakistan and the U.S., which is hoping Islamabad will use its influence to get the Taliban and the Haqqani network to participate in peace talks with the Afghan government.

Pakistan, worried that support from the U.S. is fading, has looked to strengthen ties with China as well as Russia, a Cold War-era enemy. On Thursday, Pakistan announced it would buy four advanced military helicopters from Russia.

Pakistan says it is targeting all jihadist groups in its territory. Last year it launched a large-scale military operation in the North Waziristan tribal area, a region along the Afghan border that has been a sanctuary for the Haqqani network, al Qaeda and the Pakistani Taliban.

The main town of North Waziristan, Miranshah, which previously functioned as a headquarters for the Haqqanis, has been flattened, as has another town, Mir Ali, which was also a jihadist stronghold.

ENLARGE
But U.S. officials have told Pakistani counterparts in recent days that their operations haven't sufficiently damaged the Haqqani network to qualify for the $300 million at risk.

After the Taliban admitted last month that Taliban founder MullahMohammad Omar died years ago, senior Taliban met in Quetta, a city in western Pakistan, and chose new leaders, including Sirajuddin Haqqani, head of the Haqqani network.

Mr. Haqqani is described by other Taliban officials as close to Pakistan’s Inter-Services Intelligence agency.

“While the Haqqanis have been disrupted from their long-standing havens in Miranshah and Mir Ali, we are concerned that they’ve been able to reconstitute their operations in other parts of Pakistan and continue their plotting and attack-planning against us and our friends in Afghanistan,” said the senior U.S. official.

U.S. concerns about the Haqqanis have taken on new urgency in recent weeks, officials said, following a series of brazen attacksblamed on the group in Afghanistan against the Afghan government and U.S. forces there.

Still, the Obama administration is eager to keep aiding Pakistan. One U.S. official said Washington is supportive in general of Pakistan’s counterterrorism efforts, including the North Waziristan operation, and that the administration would ask Congress to continue the reimbursement program—which is due to end on Sept. 30—into 2016 and beyond.

Since 2002, Pakistan has received more than $31 billion in U.S. civilian and military aid, including $13 billion under the Coalition Support Funds, according to the Congressional Research Service.

Pakistan’s military on Thursday announced that it had started a new phase of the North Waziristan operation: a ground offensive in the hard terrain of the Shawal valley, which has become a last redoubt for the area’s militants. The Pakistan military said in June that the operation had killed 2,763 militants. Nearly 350 soldiers died.

According to militants and local residents who spoke to The Wall Street Journal as the military operation in North Waziristan got under way in summer 2014, members of the Haqqani network left before fighting erupted.

Many foot-soldiers relocated to other parts of the tribal areas. Some leaders moved to major Pakistani towns including the provincial capital Peshawar—especially its upscale University Town and Hayatabad suburbs, militants and security officials said.

 

[Vyom]

Okay, lets say that we ignore logic, and entertain this claim that the US will declare Pakistan a hostile state, what next? Are the Americans really willing to destroy all relations with Pakistan, considering that they know the severe consequences of this action?

WSJ is being sensationalist. The US needs Pakistan, anyone who tells you otherwise is either an idiot, or a liar.

Those who say that Pakistan can be replaced by India are delusional. India isn't going to tow the US's line, or tolerate its bullying and bribing tactics. Pakistan is the only country in the region willing to fully cooperate with the US, and by pushing Pakistan away, they continue to lose that support.

The point is, this is just a dumb article. More opinion than factual.

The point is USA needs Pakistan agreed, as long as it has troops there in Afghanistan. the day they move out, the need ends right there, USA never actually needs anyone. it only acts on its interests and it follows a simple use and throw policy.

USA has larger interests post withdrawal, that is a different story altogether, but I don't think Pakistan has much role to play in that. I would say it in Pakistan's interests to keep China interested in Pakistan.

The article is simply aimed to Pakistan to give it a heads up to look others areas of funding, they will eventually release it. but till then Pakistan has to manage.

 

[That Guy]

The point is USA needs Pakistan agreed, as long as it has troops there in Afghanistan. the day they move out, the need ends right there, USA never actually needs anyone. it only acts on its interests and it follows a simple use and throw policy.

USA has larger interests post withdrawal, that is a different story altogether, but I don't think Pakistan has much role to play in that. I would say it in Pakistan's interests to keep China interested in Pakistan.

The article is simply aimed to Pakistan to give it a heads up to look others areas of funding, they will eventually release it. but till then Pakistan has to manage.

See, I use to think that too, but considering long term interests, and just how many times the US has come to rely upon Pakistan, I have had to rethink my stand.

Pakistan sits on the gateway to both Central and South Asia, its role is vital for the US's regional interests. Post withdrawal, the US will still rely heavily upon Pakistan.

As for China, Pakistan has known since the Soviet withdrawal that the US is not a reliable partner, which is why it has diversified it's list of partners and allies.

 

[syedali73]

Usual pathetic rhetoric. US and allies are occupying Afghanistan for several years now. If they, with all their freaking miltary might, could not subdue insurgence, expecting that Pakistan would be able to fix their mess is absurd and hight of stupidity. No need to comment about Bharti nonsense journalism for they report the nonsense that is bought by the Bhartis

 

[Vyom]

See, I use to think that too, but considering long term interests, and just how many times the US has come to rely upon Pakistan, I have had to rethink my stand.

Pakistan sits on the gateway to both Central and South Asia, its role is vital for the US's regional interests. Post withdrawal, the US will still rely heavily upon Pakistan.

As for China, Pakistan has known since the Soviet withdrawal that the US is not a reliable partner, which is why it has diversified it's list of partners and allies.

Yes, even that point is correct that America has come to Pakistan Number of time but the worlds order is going through a shift right now. Russia and Pakistan are improving ties, marked by the sale of Mi Hind at time where Pakistan is firmly in the Chinese camp. Two of America's Strategic rivals. Earlier it was India that was firmly in the Soviet fold, and hence America found it natural to go to Pakistan for support. This time around it did have to force Pakistan to support, much to your establishment's inconvenience. (like it or not till 2001 Pakistan was doing fairly well last decade as seen the militancy rise in Pakistan, *after America came) Yes they did pay money for it, but i guess you guys would have been better off had the Afghan invasion not taken place in the first place.

But I believe that too is changing, India is letting go of its dependence on Russian arms, its western tilt is but too obvious. also in my view America has no interests in the Great Game or central Asia, perhaps you might read differently here probably, lets keep that at difference of opinion.

 

[Indika]

See, I use to think that too, but considering long term interests, and just how many times the US has come to rely upon Pakistan, I have had to rethink my stand.
Pakistan sits on the gateway to both Central and South Asia, its role is vital for the US's regional interests. Post withdrawal, the US will still rely heavily upon Pakistan.
As for China, Pakistan has known since the Soviet withdrawal that the US is not a reliable partner, which is why it has diversified it's list of partners and allies.

You left out iran, they are in a better position to provide direct access to central asia.

 

[Chinese-Dragon]

Indian yellow journalism is spicing things up to serve her audience. CSF was linked to Pakistan's transit facilities to the US Forces, since they are gone so is CSF. How big of a deal is it really?

A lot of the Indians seem REALLY excited about this news.

Like excessively giddy and overwhelmed by joy, and profound happiness.

Wasn't there a recent revelation, that it was actually India who was the #1 recipient of American aid?

At over $65 billion, India is biggest recipient of US economic aid - DNA India

 

[Viny]

Okay, lets say that we ignore logic, and entertain this claim that the US will declare Pakistan a hostile state, what next? Are the Americans really willing to destroy all relations with Pakistan, considering that they know the severe consequences of this action?

WSJ is being sensationalist. The US needs Pakistan, anyone who tells you otherwise is either an idiot, or a liar.

Those who say that Pakistan can be replaced by India are delusional. India isn't going to tow the US's line, or tolerate its bullying and bribing tactics. Pakistan is the only country in the region willing to fully cooperate with the US, and by pushing Pakistan away, they continue to lose that support.

The point is, this is just a dumb article. More opinion than factual.

Not Many decades ago Iraq had similar feelings too ...