WASHINGTON, June 11: Expressing disappointment with the government for “failing to do enough” to improve democracy and human rights in Pakistan, the US House of Representative has reduced aid to Islamabad in the current fiscal year to $300 million.
Last year, the House had approved $550 million for Pakistan.
“We do not welcome a reduction in aid because it is a loss to the country,” said a spokesman for the PPP, Senator Akbar Khawja. “But if international bodies are noticing that there’s a need for democracy and improving human rights, it is a positive sign.”
By a 373-34 vote, the Foreign Military Financing Fund for Pakistan for 2007 was also cut by $100 million to $200 million.
A one-line statement in the House Foreign Operations Appropriations bill said $200 million was being earmarked for Pakistan because “they assist us in hunting terrorists along the Afghan border.”
The bill specifically cited the “increasing lack of respect for human rights, especially women’s rights, and the lack of progress for improving democratic governance and rule of law” as chief reasons for reducing Pakistan’s funds.
President George W. Bush had sought $23.7 billion for foreign operations but the House reduced it to $21.3 billion, which also affected the aid to Pakistan.
The US Congress had applied a similar cut in last year’s budget, but the US government had subsequently restored allocation.
The House also approved some additional funds as support for counter-drug activities in Pakistan.
Senator Khawja said the government should realize that nobody recognises “a governance model led by uniform” as a democratic setup. “We need true democracy, in which the leadership is with the prime minister, not the president.”
A proposal to reduce aid to Egypt by $100 million was defeated. The House approved $2.46 billion in assistance to Israel. This includes $2.34 billion in military aid and $120 million in economic assistance.
But the bill does not provide $150 million requested by the administration in economic assistance for West Bank and Gaza region. The bill does
provide $80 million in humanitarian assistance but funds
may not be used to support Hamas.
The House gave the Bush administration $50 billion for military operations in Iraq and Afghanistan for the first few months of the next year,
On a voice vote, the House defence appropriations subcommittee passed a $427 billion measure for the Pentagon budget year that begins Oct 1, including operations in Iraq and Afghanistan.
