The Foreign Office on Thursday hoped that the US administration would soon resume the aid programs for Pakistan after President Donald Trump halted foreign assistance for 90 days to conduct a review to ascertain if such programs were aligned with his foreign policy agenda.
At his weekly news briefing, Spokesperson Shafqat Ali Khan for the first time officially confirmed that foreign aid available to Pakistan under the USAID was also suspended after the executive order issued by President Trump on the first day in the White House.
"What I can convey to you is that we have taken note of the executive order issued by the US president, pausing all foreign development assistance programs for 90 days in order to assess their efficiencies and consistency with the US foreign policy," the spokesperson said while responding to a question.
"Over the years, the USAID has worked on a number of beneficial projects in Pakistan in the areas of energy, education, health and Narcotics Control. We hope that these programs will restart soon, and the two sides remain in contact on that," he added.
Pakistan at one point was a recipient of billions of dollars in civilian and military aid. But over the past few years, US assistance to Pakistan has dwindled quite considerably. Trump had halted all security assistance to Pakistan during his first term, accusing Islamabad for playing a "double game."
However, the US continued to fund projects under the USAID program.
While President Trump made certain references to Afghanistan since he took charge, he has yet to say anything explicitly about Pakistan.
On the leftover weapons in Afghanistan, the spokesperson said the issue remained a source of concern. "Why? We have proof of terrorist group using the same weapons for their terrorist actions in Pakistan. If you look at the entirety of the terrorism problem, this is one component of it, and that of course, remains a part of our engagement with the Afghan authorities, Kabul authorities, repeatedly conveying to them our concerns. The proofs are regularly provided." He said.
"I would not comment in detail about what time, but we have given sufficient proof and this remains an important component of our engagement with the Taliban authorities to convey that the terrorists enjoy sanctuary for attacks inside Pakistan."
"Weapons and who is responsible? But right now, the issue is that weapons were left in Kabul, and they are under control of TTA as they have taken over the state. I mean, there is a new administration in Kabul. And those weapons are being used for terrorist activities in Pakistan," he further said.
Meanwhile, the spokesperson downplayed the visit of US businessmen. "Investors and businessmen keep visiting. This is a regular feature. There's nothing extraordinary about it. The businessmen you are referring to are very reputable businessmen," he said.
"But what I can tell you is that this is something the foreign ministry is not processing. It's a regular activity for the investors to visit, and we look forward to deepening our economic engagement with the United States. It's a constant feature of our relations. US is indeed the biggest, most powerful economy in the world," he further said.
To another question, the spokesperson rejected the notion that Pakistan took GSP plus status given by the EU for granted.
"In interstate relations no one takes any state or any party for granted. The EU remains a very important partner for Pakistan," he said while responding to a question about remarks by EU official, who warned Pakistan not to take GSP plus scheme for granted.
"The Pakistan-EU friendship and cooperation is based on universally recognized principles and these principles define Pakistan's relations with the European Union. It's a rich and comprehensive partnership. The two sides are very much engaged with each other. And GSP plus is one component of this very rich relationship. That's the first point," Shafqat pointed out.
"There's no question of anyone taking anything for granted. I won't agree with this characterization. And specifically on GSP plus, it's a hand of partnership. It's a mark of partnership between Pakistan and the EU. There are a lot of activities which are undertaken by Pakistan in terms of international obligations and commitment. There is a very robustly working Treaty Implementation Cell which tries to supervise and coordinate Pakistan's follow up on implementation of the range of treaties," he said.
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