US agrees to extend military assistance to Pakistan for another year

Official says Washington has also committed it will continue assistance for Pakistan in some form beyond 2016

ISLAMABAD:

The United States has agreed to extend Pakistan’s military assistance under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF) for another year, a defence ministry official said on Friday after high-level talks between the two countries in Washington.

Pakistan had sought the extension in US assistance under the CSF, which is meant to reimburse costs Islamabad incurred in the fight against terrorism.



The CSF, which was established by the US in 2001 to cover some of the cost issues countries face in the fight against extremist violence, was originally supposed to expire in 2014. The US extended the facility for Pakistan until 2015 last year.

“Now, the CSF arrangement will continue in 2016 as well,” the defence ministry official told The Express Tribune on the condition of anonymity.

The agreement was reached during the meeting of the US-Pakistan Defence Consultative Group (DCG) held in Washington on December 16 and 17, he said. Defence Secretary Lt-Gen (retd) Alam Khattak led the Pakistani delegation and US Under-Secretary of Defence for Policy Christine E Wormuth led the Americans.

According to the official, the US also gave a commitment that the assistance for Pakistan would continue beyond 2016. It is not clear, though, as to whether this assistance will continue under the CSF or if the two sides will have a new arrangement.





A joint statement issued after the DCG talks said the US and Pakistan discussed continuing support for security assistance and CSF. The statement said both sides welcomed the continued positive trajectory of the US-Pakistan bilateral security relationship and acknowledged that this cooperation was vital for peace and stability in the region.

“They expressed satisfaction that bilateral security relationship had played a critical role in degrading al Qaeda and other violent extremists in the region,” the statement added.

The US reiterated its support to the Pakistan military in their ongoing operation in North Waziristan Agency and recognised that disruption of militant networks as significant progress towards stabilising the Pak-Afghan border.



The joint statement further said the US recognised the sacrifices of Pakistani security forces in securing areas along the border with Afghanistan.

Pakistani side, on its part, assured the US that its ongoing military offensive against terrorists and extremists would continue.

The two countries reviewed and shared their perspective on the current challenges facing the region. They expressed their support to efforts seeking the resumption of stalled Afghan reconciliation process, the joint statement said.


Published in The Express Tribune, December 19^th, 2015.