WASHINGTON: The US Congress has extended the Coalition Support Fund for Pakistan for a year but has also included some new conditions in its final budget proposals.
The fund reimburses US allies for the efforts they make in the war against terror.
The final budget proposal, however, clarifies that Pakistan cannot receive more than a billion dollars in a year from this fund.
Pakistan received $370 million from this fund in October this year. The annual imbursements are made in four instalments.
The final text, issued by the US Senate Armed Services Committee, shows that the support fund for Pakistan has been extended till US fiscal year 2015. The text includes both old and new restrictions.
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Of the total amount of reimbursements and support authorised for Pakistan during fiscal year 2015, $300 million shall not be eligible for the waiver unless the US Secretary of Defence certifies to the congressional defence committees that Pakistan has “undertaken military operations in North Waziristan that have contributed to significantly disrupting the safe haven and freedom of movement of the Haqqani network in Pakistan.”
The secretary will also be required to certify that Pakistan has taken steps that have demonstrated a commitment to “ensuring that North Waziristan does not return to being a safe haven for the Haqqani network.”
Not later than 90 days after the date of the enactment of this Act and every six months thereafter, the Secretary of Defence shall, in consultation with the Secretary of State, submit to the appropriate committees of Congress a report on the nature and extent of bilateral security cooperation between the United States and Pakistan.
The report shall include, at a minimum, the following:
(1) A description of any strategic security objectives that the United States and Pakistan have agreed to pursue in cooperation.
(2) A description of programmes or activities that the United States and Pakistan have jointly undertaken to pursue mutually agreed security cooperation objectives.
(3) A description and assessment of the effectiveness of efforts by Pakistan, unilaterally or jointly with the United States, to disrupt operations and eliminate safe havens of Al Qaeda, Tehrik-i-Taliban Pakistan, and other militant extremist groups such as the Haqqani Network and the Quetta Shura Taliban located in Pakistan.
(4) A description and assessment of efforts by Pakistan, unilaterally or jointly with the United States, to counter the threat of improvised explosive devices and the networks involved in the acquisition, production, and delivery of such devices and their precursors and components.
(5) An assessment of the effectiveness of any US security assistance to Pakistan to achieve the strategic security objectives described above.
(6) A description of any metrics used to assess the effectiveness of programmes and activities described above.
The report shall be submitted in unclassified form, but may include a classified annex. The requirements in this section shall terminate on December 31, 2017.
Published in Dawn, December 5th, 2014
