WASHINGTON, Dec 7: The Bush administration has informed Congress that not maintaining current levels of US military and financial assistance to Pakistan will harm the war on terror.

“Fighting terrorism is, of course, a pre-eminent goal of US policy in Pakistan,” Assistant Secretary of State Richard Boucher told a Senate panel on Thursday.

Mr Boucher told a crucial hearing on US aid to Pakistan that the administration planned to continue current levels of assistance till 2009, when the existing agreement for providing $6 billion to Pakistan in five years expires.

“Doing otherwise would not further our interests with Pakistan at a time when Pakistan plays a critical role in the war on terrorism and is about to have elections that need to be free, fair, and credible,” he said.

During the hearing, it became apparent that the administration not only wants to continue its military assistance to Pakistan but also wants to avoid a debate on the issue. Panel’s chairman Senator Robert Menendez told the hearing that he had invited Defence Secretary Robert Gates to explain why the US must continue the current levels of military assistance to Pakistan despite the emergency.

Mr Gates excused himself while the Pentagon said that it had only two experts on US military assistance to Pakistan and both were unable to come because of prior commitments.

Mr Boucher regretted discontinuing training facilities in the 1990s, which severed America’s links with an entire generation of officers in the Pakistani military.

The US, he said, also needed to “play catch-up.” Mr Boucher told the panel that since 2002, the US has provided $1.9 billion in security assistance to Pakistan. In addition, the US also has provided $5.3 billion in Coalition Support Funds to reimburse Pakistan for expenses incurred in the war on terror, the panel was told. The committee learned that since 9/11, Pakistan has received $10 billion of military and economic assistance.