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A powerful American lawmaker has sought to scale back the US civilian aid to Pakistan unless Islamabad makes satisfactory action against the militant groups, in particular the Afghanistan-based Haqqani network.
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has also sought to end US foreign assistance to countries like India, China and Brazil who are economically viable enough to maintain their own assistance programmes.
Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the powerful House Foreign affairs Committee, expressed her views in a letter to Congressmen Paul Ryan and Chris Van Hollen, who are respectively chairman and ranking member of the house committee on budget.
"Countries, such as China, Brazil, South Africa and India, have transitioned from being recipients of foreign aid to substantial donors, funding major foreign assistance programs and investments of their own. US assistance should not be provided to countries that are economically viable enough to maintain their own assistance programs," she wrote.
Ros-Lehtinen said few relationships are as complex and challenging as that between the US and Pakistan.
"While there is some hope for modest improvements in the relationship this year, such gains will likely be tactical and incremental - not strategic game changers," she wrote.
She said the Congress must be clear about its expectations for the relationship.
She said the Foreign Relations Authorization Act and analogous language contained in the end-year appropriations bill restrict the use of most foreign assistance authorities for Pakistan unless the Secretary of State can certify that Pakistan is cooperating with the US in efforts against the Haqqani Network and other extremist groups.
More broadly, the most recent quarterly report of the office of the inspector general (OIG) for US civilian assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan states that although Congress appropriated USD 1.48 billion for civilian assistance to Pakistan in FY12, only USD 618 million was obligated.
In addition, over the last three years, USD 1.632 in obligated development funding (equal to 38 per cent of total obligated civilian assistance since 2009) remains unspent.
Given the political and diplomatic difficulties in the US-Pakistan relationship, she said it would make more sense to scale back the pace of appropriations for civilian assistance in Pakistan, so that such funds are used more judiciously and sustainably over a longer period of time.
"It must be noted that the government of Pakistan has repeatedly said that if the United States wants to support economic development in Pakistan, it should do so through a greater reliance on trade rather than aid policy," she said.
In this spirit, she argued that the budget committee must urge the executive branch to look toward trade policy as an increasingly important tool in its efforts to foster stability in Pakistan and the broader South Asian region.
Congresswoman Ileana Ros-Lehtinen has also sought to end US foreign assistance to countries like India, China and Brazil who are economically viable enough to maintain their own assistance programmes.
Ros-Lehtinen, chairwoman of the powerful House Foreign affairs Committee, expressed her views in a letter to Congressmen Paul Ryan and Chris Van Hollen, who are respectively chairman and ranking member of the house committee on budget.
"Countries, such as China, Brazil, South Africa and India, have transitioned from being recipients of foreign aid to substantial donors, funding major foreign assistance programs and investments of their own. US assistance should not be provided to countries that are economically viable enough to maintain their own assistance programs," she wrote.
Ros-Lehtinen said few relationships are as complex and challenging as that between the US and Pakistan.
"While there is some hope for modest improvements in the relationship this year, such gains will likely be tactical and incremental - not strategic game changers," she wrote.
She said the Congress must be clear about its expectations for the relationship.
She said the Foreign Relations Authorization Act and analogous language contained in the end-year appropriations bill restrict the use of most foreign assistance authorities for Pakistan unless the Secretary of State can certify that Pakistan is cooperating with the US in efforts against the Haqqani Network and other extremist groups.
More broadly, the most recent quarterly report of the office of the inspector general (OIG) for US civilian assistance to Afghanistan and Pakistan states that although Congress appropriated USD 1.48 billion for civilian assistance to Pakistan in FY12, only USD 618 million was obligated.
In addition, over the last three years, USD 1.632 in obligated development funding (equal to 38 per cent of total obligated civilian assistance since 2009) remains unspent.
Given the political and diplomatic difficulties in the US-Pakistan relationship, she said it would make more sense to scale back the pace of appropriations for civilian assistance in Pakistan, so that such funds are used more judiciously and sustainably over a longer period of time.
"It must be noted that the government of Pakistan has repeatedly said that if the United States wants to support economic development in Pakistan, it should do so through a greater reliance on trade rather than aid policy," she said.
In this spirit, she argued that the budget committee must urge the executive branch to look toward trade policy as an increasingly important tool in its efforts to foster stability in Pakistan and the broader South Asian region.
