May 08, 2008	Thursday	Jamadi-ul-Awwal 2, 1429

WASHINGTON, May 7: The Pentagon has rejected or deferred millions of dollars in military aid requests from Pakistan while at the Congress Democrats were questioning a US programme that reimbursed Pakistan’s military for anti-terrorism operations in the tribal area.

In its latest report on Pakistan, the US Government Accountability Office claimed that the “Pakistan Army has been unsuccessful at defeating terrorists in Fata.”

It noted that “Pakistani security forces lack counter-insurgency capability and the army is neither structured nor trained for counter-insurgency.”

The report points out that “serious equipment and training deficiencies exist in Frontier Corps” and a security development plan aimed at fighting terrorism in Fata faces a funding shortfall of $12.3 million for 2008 while there is no designated funding for 2009.

According to the report, from October 2001 to June 2007, the United States reimbursed Pakistan about $5.56 billion in Coalition Support Fund for military operations in Fata and other support in the war on terror.

This makes CSF the largest portion of the $10.8 billion in US aid Islamabad has received since 2002. But in February 2008, the Pentagon turned down or delayed more than $81 million requested by Pakistan.

The rejection represents a small portion of the nearly $1 billion a year Pakistan has received since 2001 but it marks a sudden change in the US policy towards Pakistan. CSF support to Pakistan is structured as a reimbursement mechanism in which the US Department of Defence validates Islamabad claims and reimburses them.

US officials have said that Pakistan used much of the US military aid to pay for heavy equipment better suited for a regional conflict with its arch enemy India than for anti-insurgency operations in the frontier territories.

Pakistan rejects this criticism. “A reimbursement is not aid. It is our money and it is up to us to decide how we spend it,” said the outgoing Pakistani ambassador Mahmud Durrani. “We may buy weapons or we may buy potatoes with this money, if we want to.”