US Suspends Most Security Assistance To Pakistan

Ms Nauert said that despite high-level talks between Washington and Pakistan's government, "the Taliban and Haqqani network continue to find sanctuary inside Pakistan as they plot to destabilise Afghanistan and attack U.S. and allied personnel".

Thursday's announcement was in addition to the $255 million in foreign military assistance that the Trump administration in August said it was withholding, she said.

New York-The US is suspending most aid to Pakistan because of its failure to curb terrorism enforcing President Donald Trump's repeated warnings to Islamabad, State Department spokeswoman Heather Nauert announced on Thursday.

Some regional analysts question whether the Trump administration has a plan for how to move forward, or if the decision to cut funding was a reaction to recent comments from Pakistan's foreign minister, who accused Trump on Wednesday of lying about how much aid the USA gives Pakistan.

Pakistan People's Party (PPP) senior leader Senator Sherry Rehman has deplored the United States' attitude towards Pakistan, and said that Washington should learn the manners of addressing any Independent State.

The widely reported data collected from USA and Pakistan government agencies suggest a huge chunk, around $14.5 billion, has gone to the Pakistani military for covering its claimed costs of anti-terror operations.

Since 2002, Pakistan has received over $13 billion in Coalition Support Funds (CSF) from the US.

"They may say its a surprise, but what is no surprise is that the President has expressed his concerns, Secretary Tillerson has expressed his concerns, as has Secretary Mattis, and I imagine many other government officials having those conversations with Pakistan", Nauert said.

Trump's frustrations are shared by US lawmakers, who accused Pakistan of playing a double game by allowing militant groups sanctuary - which Islamabad denies - despite promising to crack down on them.

In the post-9/11 period, Pakistan emerged as one of the biggest recipients of United States aid because of its role as a regional ally in the American-led military intervention in Afghanistan. Earlier this year Washington suspended $255 million in FMF.

A glance at US budget figures suggest the amounts frozen could exceed $1 billion. In an article published on the website of Gatestone Institute, an global policy council and think tank in New York, Islamabad-based journalist Kaswar Klasra has said that ISIS will continue to carry out attacks, itself or through other outfits such as Lashkar-i-Jhangvi, Jamaat-ul-Ahrar and the Taliban, unless Pakistan takes them to task, reported ANI.

It said that Pakistan believed that its cooperation with USA in fighting terrorism directly served USA national security interests as well as the larger interests of the global community.

"The timing and nature of the Trump administration's decision are worrisome".

"The senior (Taliban) leadership still resides in Pakistan", said Gen. John Nicholson, the top US commander in Afghanistan.

Responding to a question regarding the USA drone attacks in Pakistan, Ghafoor said the country would respond to such acts according to the aspiration of its people. Sadiq said on Friday that "what the U.S.is doing now is not good for its policy against terrorism and for a lasting peace in this region". It accused the US of scapegoating Pakistan for its own failure to bring peace to Afghanistan.

Drone strikes have been a frequent tactic by the U.S forces since 2004 to target suspected Taliban and al-Qaeda militants in Pakistan's northwestern tribal region, mainly North and South Waziristan, which border Afghanistan.