Pakistan

Tribune Take: Suspension of US aid, a case of bad timing

US freeze on $700mln in aid to Pakistan is ill timed and will be perceived to be linked to the NATO attacks.

Mahawish Rezvi December 13, 2011

In today’s episode of the Tribune Take we take a look at the latest freeze imposed by US lawmakers of $700 million in aid to Pakistan until it offers to help the fight against improvised explosive devices in the region.

Huma Imtiaz, The Express Tribune‘s correspondent based in Washington DC discusses the conditions set in the bill and says it is a case of bad timing. She says the National Defence Act was being debated since early November. The Senate committee has asked Pakistan to curb the flow of ammonium nitrate across the border to Afghanistan. Commonly known as fertiliser, it is also a base component for IEDs, and the leading cause of US and Afghan casualties.

Imtiaz says this freeze will be perceived both in Pakistan and in the United States as another step in worsening relations between the two allies after the November attack by North Atlantic Treaty Organisation (Nato) helicopters that killed at least 24 soldiers.

Read Huma Imtiaz’s articles here.

Follow Huma Imtiaz on Twitter.

The Tribune Take daily news web show will appear on the tribune.com.pk home page.

The Take will feature in-depth interviews and analysis with editors and reporters who are covering the major stories, exploring front page events and major ledes. The news analysis covers the way The Express Tribune examines a story, how we cover it and why.

COMMENTS (4)

R.A | 12 years ago | Reply

     Recently there were so many statements
     by  polititions from all parties that we do not want
     American aid we will stand on our own feet.
     Now U S accepted our demands and said
     We help  you to stand on your own feet.
     The result ?
                 We have started to cry
     Poor U.S.A

Sqn Ldr S.Ausaf Husain (Retd) | 12 years ago | Reply

It is now "winter".

Most "unprotected" things feeze duing winter.

We need not to worry with the freeze. Perhaps more than $ 70m, worth of things are with us, awaiting on wheels.

VIEW MORE COMMENTS

ayesha | 12 years ago | Reply Pakistanis are already anti-US and feel no gratitude for the aid they receive. Somehow they quote an unsunstantiated number of $70 billion as the cost to the country of wr on terror and so feel that US is cheating them anyway. In light of how they feel, stopping aid is not going to change the anti-US feeling. in any case the only aid that has been currently stopped is the military aid not the civilian aid. Make no mistake though this delinerate escalation by Pakistan and the beligerent statements coming from Pak leadership is not giong to go unnoticed and will eventualy be eciprocated. What people in Pakistan do not realize is that most likely Pakistan will need fresh aid from IMF or WOrld Bank for which it needs US support. Plus almost 33% of its exports are directed towards US and another 27% to other Western European nations which US can directly influence. This is not to mentione ability to influence the fate of the millions of Pakistani residents in US who may not have US citizenship but are gainfully employed.

iWatch | 12 years ago | Reply

Please stop the self-promotion. Its painful!

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