US blocks $350 mn aid to Pakistan for not doing enough against Haqqani network

Washington: Two days after listing Pakistan among the nations and regions providing "safe havens" to terrorists, the US on Friday decided against the disbursement of USD 350 million in coalition support fund to Islamabad.

The Trump administration' decision came after Defence Secretary James Mattis informed Congress that he was not able to certify that Islamabad has taken "sufficient actions" against the dreaded Haqqani network, a top official said.

Pakistan-based Haqqani network is blamed for a number of high-profile attacks on US and Western interests in war-torn Afghanistan.

The terror group is also blamed for several deadly attacks against Indian interests in Afghanistan, including the 2008 bombing of the Indian mission in Kabul that killed 58 people.

"Secretary James Mattis has informed congressional defence committees that he was not able to certify that Pakistan has taken sufficient actions against the Haqqani network to permit full reimbursement of the fiscal year 2016 Coalition Support Funds," Pentagon spokesman Adam Stump said.

This is for the second consecutive year that the US Defence Secretary has refused to certify to Congress, as mandated by National Defence Authorization Act (NDAA), that Pakistan has taken satisfactory action against the Haqqani network.

Mattis' predecessor Ashton Carter was the first US Defence Secretary to refuse that certification.

Last year, the Pentagon withheld USD 300 million in reimbursements.

Pakistan has been reimbursed USD 550 million of the USD 900 million the country was authorised to receive in the fiscal year 2016.

As a result of the notification by Defence Secretary Mattis to Congress, the Department of Defence has reprogrammed remaining Coalition Support Funds, which is USD 350 million, to other accounts, Stump said.

The amount is under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF), a US Defense Department program to reimburse allies that have incurred costs in supporting counter-terrorism and counter-insurgency operations.

The decision comes as President Donald Trump`s administration is exploring potentially hardening its approach toward Pakistan to crack down on militants launching strikes in neighbouring Afghanistan.

Relations between the two countries have been frayed over the past decade, with US officials frustrated by what they term Islamabad`s unwillingness to act against Islamist groups such as the Afghan Taliban and the Haqqani network.

"We continue to be encouraged by Pakistan's operations in North Waziristan and elsewhere in the FATA. Pakistan's efforts have reduced the ability of some militant groups to use North Waziristan and the FATA as a safe haven for terrorism," Stump, however, added.

However, the Taliban and the Haqqani Network continue to operate in other locations in Pakistan, Stump said, two days after the State Department in a report to the Congress had listed Pakistan as one of the countries having terrorist safe havens.

"In our discussions with Pakistani officials, we continue to stress that it is in the interest of Pakistan to eliminate all safe havens and reduce the operational capacity of all militant organisations that pose a threat to the US and Pakistani interests as well as regional stability," he said.

Noting that Pakistan has been reimbursed USD 550 million in FY16 CSF, Stump said USD 300 million of FY2016 Coalition Support Funds were already rescinded as part of the Consolidated Appropriations Act of 2017.

USD 50 million was the remaining amount available out of the USD 900 million authorised for Pakistan in FY16 CSF, he said.

Pakistan is authorised to receive up to USD 900 million in FY17 CSF.

"There is a similar certification requirement for Pakistan pertaining to USD 400 million of FY17 CSF. Pakistan still has time to take action against the Haqqani Network in order to influence the Secretary's certification decision in FY17," Stump said.

Pakistan is the largest recipient of CSF reimbursements, having received more than USD 14 billion since 2002.

"CSF is just one component of the United States' broad and enduring partnership with Pakistan," Stump added.

On July 19, the US State Department, in its Country Reports on Terrorism, and under the subtitle Terrorist Safe Havens, said: "Numerous terrorist groups, including the Haqqani Network (HQN), Lashkar-e-Toiba (LeT), and Jaish-e-Mohammad (JeM), continued to operate from Pakistani soil in 2016."

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It said that although Lashkar-e-Toiba is banned in Pakistan, LeT's wings Jamaat-ud-Dawa (JuD) and Falah-i-Insaniat Foundation (FiF) "were able to openly engage in fundraising, including in the capital".

"LeT's chief Hafiz Saeed (a UN-designated terrorist) continued to address large rallies, although, in February 2017, Pakistan proscribed him under relevant provisions of Schedule Four of the Anti-Terrorism Act, thus severely restricting his freedom of movement."

(With Agency inputs)