'$2 billion military aid': foreign office expresses ignorance

19 Oct, 2012

Obama administration has recently given a waiver on conditions in aid to Pakistan subsequent to US Secretary of State Hillary Clinton certificate that Pakistan had made progress in war on terror, the Foreign Office said. Moazzam Ahmad Khan, Foreign Office spokesman, however, expressed ignorance about an amount of $2 billion in military aid which, according to a foreign media report, would be provided to Pakistan following the move.
The report stated that on September 13, Secretary of State Hillary Clinton quietly, and without explanation, issued a "national security" waiver on conditions for Pakistan military aid. "This is not something new," the spokesman said when asked for comments by Business Recorder, adding that there were various conditions set by the US Congress on aid to Pakistan, which require a certificate by Secretary of State that the country was making progress in combating terrorism.
The spokesman, however, expressed inability whether or not the $2 billion in military aid has been released to the government of Pakistan, saying he was only aware that the US has recently released $1.18 billion to Pakistan under the Coalition Support Fund (CSF). On August 2, 2012 Washington released the funds after Pakistan and the United States signed an agreement allowing Nato supplies through Pakistan into Afghanistan, which were earlier blocked in retaliation to Nato air strike on Salala border post killing 24 Pakistani soldiers.

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